An ‘absolute hero’ trolled Donald Trump with this fake presidential seal during speech
- Seal at Republican event showed Russian symbols and golf clubs
- Charles Leazott created doctored image in 2016 as comic protest
The creator of a fake presidential seal doctored with symbols of Russia and golf that Donald Trump unwittingly delivered a speech in front of at a meeting of young Republicans has said he is delighted with whoever pulled off the stunt.
“I love them,” Charles Leazott, a former Republican and graphic designer, told The Washington Post, adding that the perpetrator was “either wildly incompetent or the best troll ever. Either way, I love them”.
The seal was doctored to resemble Russia’s coat of arms, and added golf clubs and an inscription changed from E pluribus unum – “out of many, one” – to the Spanish phrase 45 es un títere, or “45 is a puppet”, was projected behind the president while he addressed the Turning Point USA meeting.
Leazott, a 46-year-old graphic designer who voted for George W. Bush twice, said he created the image in 2016 as a comic protest.
The faux seal flashed up on screen for about 80 seconds, until the projection was switched to the correct image.
Initially, a spokesperson for TPUSA said they hadn’t been aware of the switch until The Washington Post called.