# What's up with Trump's presidential seal? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 25, 2019, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592 "2019-07-25T04:17:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/41 "2019-07-25T23:20:05Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Are you saying it is “Fake News?” (I agree but that is their story and they are sticking to it… complete with the sacrificial lamb.) “Fake news”? I have no idea what you mean. This is a real story, as far as I can tell. The “bullshit” part is "oh, I accidentally found it on the internet as the first hit for ‘presidential seal’ "or somesuch excuse. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/42 "2019-07-25T23:21:44Z")
“Fake News” is what someone shouts when the reality of a situation does not fit their bullshit. Bullshit is bullshit as it always was. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/43 "2019-07-25T23:26:04Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Are you saying it is “Fake News?” (I agree but that is their story and they are sticking to it… complete with the sacrificial lamb.) Sorry–you responded a minute before my addendum. I think we’re all on the same page. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/44 "2019-07-25T23:31:10Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > “Fake news”? I have no idea what you mean. This is a real story, as far as I can tell. The “bullshit” part is "oh, I accidentally found it on the internet as the first hit for ‘presidential seal’ "or somesuch excuse. A more plausible excuse is that someone downloaded the doctored seal onto one of the company’s image depositories thinking it was funny, and when another person was looking for clip art of the seal they found it an inserted it without paying attention. That explanation still requires someone in the organization who’s not a fan of Trump. Not as dramatic as direct sabotage but still not completely an honest mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/45 "2019-07-25T23:31:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > “Fake news”? I have no idea what you mean. This is a real story, as far as I can tell. The “bullshit” part is "oh, I accidentally found it on the internet as the first hit for ‘presidential seal’ "or somesuch excuse. I’m saying that a conservative Republican group is putting out a story that really appears to be fake to cover their rogue AV guy and say he still fully supports the president… it was just an accident. All the while accusing anything that shows that some people may not support the president gets labeled by them as “Fake News.” If it supports your cause it was just an accident… seriously… believe us because it is true. But if it goes against your cause it is Fake News… seriously… believe us because we know. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/46 "2019-07-25T23:38:26Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > That is exactly what they are claiming it was… and someone got fired for it. > > [https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/25/politics/trump-russia-presidential-seal-tpusa-trnd/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/25/politics/trump-russia-presidential-seal-tpusa-trnd/index.html) The article points out that the White House is blaming TPUSA, although a source points out that the WH could have provided the correct image file themselves. Regardless, they sure as hell should have vetted all the materials before going live. But in Trump’s admin, nothing is ever their fault. We’ll probably hear Hilary was behind it. Maybe even McCain. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/47 "2019-07-25T23:44:31Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > I’m saying that a conservative Republican group is putting out a story that really appears to be fake to cover their rogue AV guy and say he still fully supports the president… it was just an accident. All the while accusing anything that shows that some people may not support the president gets labeled by them as “Fake News.” > > If it supports your cause it was just an accident… seriously… believe us because it is true. But if it goes against your cause it is Fake News… seriously… believe us because we know. Yes, I believe we’re all on the same page. This “fake news” crap is the biggest bullshit of them all. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/48 "2019-07-25T23:53:37Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > … Not as dramatic as direct sabotage but still not completely an honest mistake. They mistakenly used and honest image of what Trump is. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/49 "2019-07-26T00:03:28Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yes, I believe we’re all on the same page. This “fake news” crap is the biggest bullshit of them all. Yup I do think it possibly was an accident but not for the reasons given. My guess is the young AV guys were playing around and having a good laugh but never intended to share it with everyone. It was probably easy enough to identify the person who loaded the wrong file… he was the one who shit his pants as soon as he realized it was being shown. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/50 "2019-07-26T00:07:52Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Yup > > I do think it possibly was an accident but not for the reasons given. My guess is the young AV guys were playing around and having a good laugh but never intended to share it with everyone. It was probably easy enough to identify the person who loaded the wrong file… he was the one who shit his pants as soon as he realized it was being shown. Maybe. It’s subtle enough though that it would pass a quick review. When you hear horse hove beats, you don’t look for zebras. So you see an image that you expect, and move on. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/51 "2019-07-26T00:45:52Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Maybe. It’s subtle enough though that it would pass a quick review. When you hear horse hove beats, you don’t look for zebras. So you see an image that you expect, and move on. That was my reaction when I heard about it, but when I saw the seal, I thought “Damn, who can be so oblivious that they ignore a two-headed eagle?” So it’s most probably a prank by the A/V guy, but also laziness and incompetence by everyone on the white House team. And Trump was closer to it than anyone. Same goes for him. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/52 "2019-07-26T02:18:55Z")
This evening, I saw a clip of Trump’s introduction at the event, and the bogus seal was on a separate screen to the left of the main display. The main display itself first showed a lengthy video paean to Trump (Military School! Winning! Helicopters! Abraham Lincoln! Trump’s hairdo in silhouette!) then faded to the real Seal, which was then immediately partially obscured by flashing text saying “Welcome President Donald J. Trump”. I don’t know, not the biggest issue, but is it considered kosher to cover up the Presidential seal with other crap like that? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/53 "2019-07-26T02:28:36Z")
[Charles Leazott hadn’t thought about the seal in months.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/07/25/meet-man-who-created-fake-presidential-seal-former-republican-fed-up-with-trump/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e8d431f60448) > [@](#): > > The 46-year-old graphic designer threw it together after the 2016 presidential election — it was one part joke, one part catharsis. He used to be a proud Republican. He voted for George W. Bush. Twice. > > But Donald J. Trump’s GOP was no longer his party. So he created a mock presidential seal to prove his point. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/54 "2019-07-26T02:34:58Z")
Mr. Leazott backs me on this being an accident: > [@](#): > > By Thursday morning, the Turning Point spokesman said the group had identified the staffer responsible for turning Leazott’s design into a trending topic. He called the incident a last-minute oversight, the result of a quick online search to find a second high-resolution photo of the presidential seal to place behind Trump. He said the mistake was “unacceptable.” > > “We did let the individual go,” the spokesman said. “I don’t think it was malicious intent, but nevertheless.” > > Leazott doesn’t buy it. He thinks whoever was responsible had to know exactly what they were looking for. He believes the person dug up the image he created and used it intentionally. > > “That’s a load of crap,” he said in response to Turning Point’s explanation. “You have to look for this. There’s no way this was an accident is all I’m saying.” > [@](#): > > A photo of Trump in front of his seal is now his computer background, and the person who used it at the event is “either wildly incompetent or the best troll ever — either way, I love them.” 😃 > [@](#): > > As of Thursday afternoon, Leazott’s shirts were sold out. He said he had to start working with a fulfillment center just to meet the demand. He also revived the primary website for his brand, OneTermDonnie, which includes a paean to the American Civil Liberties Union, where the site says 10 percent of all sales will be directed. > > “It’s cool people are buying this, that’s great and all,” he said. “But I’ve got to be honest, I am so tickled in the most petty way possible that the president of the United States, who I despise, stood up and gave a talk in front of this graphic. Whoever put that up is my absolute hero.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/55 "2019-07-26T02:47:50Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Mr. Leazott backs me on this being an accident:😃 Surely, a “not” is missing there, right? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/56 "2019-07-26T02:50:31Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Surely, a “not” is missing there, right? :smack:errrrrrm yes: “not being an accident”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/57 "2019-07-26T02:52:52Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > :smack:errrrrrm yes: “not being an accident”. 🙂 Yes, I definitely do not think there was anything accidental about this. I mean, unless somebody accidentally forgot to replace the fake seal at the last minute. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/58 "2019-07-26T03:56:25Z")
Nm bad reading comprehension on my part ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/59 "2019-07-26T10:34:33Z")
“tickled in the most petty way possible” Yeah, I like this dude. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592/60 "2019-07-26T13:29:56Z")
The only way to improve on this would be if Donald had broken into song, singing Paul Simon’s Loves Me Like A Rock: “I’ve got the presidential seal, I’m up on the presidential podium…” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-trumps-presidential-seal/837592.md?page=4)