Trump spoke in front of a fake presidential seal that included a Russian symbol.

[Tactical Peek]

The Washington Post
‏Verified account @washingtonpost

Trump spoke in front of a fake presidential seal that included a Russian symbol. How it got there is a mystery.

Link to tweet

------

What the actual fuck?!

[TwilightZone]

1. The golf clubs are the best part.

[TheBlackAdder]

27. Are they really olive branches in the other talons or is it something else?

[nolabear]

46. Money. 😂

[TheBlackAdder]

49. Oh, man! Well done to whomever pulled that off! Even if it's Vlad's team to get Trump's next payment

[BigmanPigman]

2. The eagle has two heads.

Maybe it is on purpose since the Racist Rapist is two faced or maybe due to his bipolar behavior.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. The two-headed eagle is a traditional symbol of the Russian empire.

I think somebody got into the AV system and punked him with the reference to Russia (and the golf clubs).

[BigmanPigman]

9. I tried to read the Wa Po article but I used up my freebies

for the month and my email subscription didn't have it listed in their articles. It took me four tries to get through the first paragraph before it was blacked out.

Thanks for clearing that up since it was driving me crazy (ier).

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. So here's more:

The eagle has two heads instead of one — a symbol historically tied to empire and dominance. It closely resembles the bird on the Russian coat of arms, and also appears on the flags of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro. Its left talons, rather than clasping 13 arrows, appear to clutch a set of golf clubs.

On the official presidential seal, the eagle’s mouth famously holds a banner with the U.S. motto “E pluribus unum.” It was not clear from photos and video if the words on the parody eagle’s banner were altered as well.

The origins of the knockoff are murky. A projection of the true presidential seal was centered behind Trump’s name as he walked onstage. The true seal was also on the lectern where the president spoke for 80 minutes.

A White House spokesperson told The Washington Post they had not seen the seal before it appeared on screen, and referred questions about the incident to Turning Point.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/07/25/how-did-trump-end-up-front-presidential-seal-doctored-include-russian-symbol/?utm_term=.fc8407b1ed78

[BigmanPigman]

14. Wow, there are golf clubs?!?

I don't know if I should laugh, cry, scream or do all of them.

[Anon-C]

28. Unbelievable!

Or not?

[Recursion]

33. It has a specific meaning in heraldry, "king-emperor"

Pretty much limited to the Tsar of Russia and the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, the two people who were both emperors and in their own right kings of subsidiary kingdoms.

[BigmanPigman]

37. Thanks!

I always learn so much on DU.

[Takket]

3. he probably put it there himself.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Looks like somebody trolled him.

[Iliyah]

7. I hope that's true.

[klook]

8. OMG, genius!

Whoever did that is my hero. Wow. Nicely done. The spirit of the dear, recently departed Paul Krassner lives on.

[Recursion]

34. IDK. The Pepes have a history of taking jokes and running with them (nt)

[mopinko]

6. that's hilarious.

i wish there was a better pic. i think there may be some more jokes in there. the left claw appears to be holding cash.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. A slightly better picture:

Still can't tell what's written on the banner (except it's not "E Pluribus Unum&quot .

[Raastan]

12. It may be written in Cyrillic...

[OilemFirchen]

16. 45 ES UN PUTCHO

I do believe...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

17. What's "putcho"? Couldn't find a definition, is it a word?

"Pendejo" would work but it doesn't fit. It does look like it says "45 es un... something."

[OilemFirchen]

19. Not a Spanish speaker, but Google Translate sez it's "slut". (n/t)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

21. "Puta" is the word I know, so maybe that's a variation.

[Tanuki]

22. It looks like it says "45 es un titere". If so, that is Spanish for

"45 is a puppet."

[OilemFirchen]

25. By jove, I think you're right!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. I think that's it!

[nolabear]

47. It's "titere"--puppet.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

30. Here's a better image.....

The banner says something like "45 66 UN TITERS"

Interpret, someone?.....

Credit: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/24/trump-presidential-seal-doctored-russia-golf-turning-point#img-1

[mopinko]

36. i think reply #22 could be it.

[jmowreader]

13. The eagle's right talon is clutching a sheaf of money

And let me guess: The motto has been changed from "E Pluribus Unum" to either "God Bless America" or "All Your Base Are Belong To Us."

[BigmanPigman]

15. A two headed creature with cash and golf clubs...perfect representation

for our country under this POTUS. We are officially the US of Ass.

[Johnny2X2X]

18. This cannot happen as a prank.

There are people around any President whose job it is to analyze every detail. No freaking way someone pranked them. They let it get through to create doubt. Trump and his handlers love the Russia connection and use it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. But that's not true in this case. Trump is surrounded by incompetent people

who regularly make dumb mistakes in their publications, tweets, emails and other communications. It wouldn't be at all surprising if a prank got past the numbskulls who are supposed to manage these things. From the WaPo article:

Richard Painter, who served as the chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush from 2005 to 2007, said the president’s staff should typically have advanced knowledge and command over images and video displayed at events where the president appears.

He called the incident “careless.”

“You should have control over what the private group is doing, what they’re putting on the screen and anything else,” said Painter, now a law professor at the University of Minnesota. “To let someone project something on the screen that isn’t controlled by the White House is pretty stupid.”

[Retrograde]

24. It may be their job, but

I don't think there are that many people left in Trump's orbit who are actually competent at their jobs. Or they just no longer give a damn,

[Recursion]

35. That was in normal times. Apparently he doesn't even have an advance team anymore

(I mean, obviously he has a security advance, but in terms of the event management apparently they've just been going in blind for like a year now.)

[Blue_Tires]

43. This cannot happen to a halfway competent president, you mean...

Trump's staffers are hired for their slavish loyalty and not their skills or talents...

[ecstatic]

20. Foreshadowing.... Everyone's sitting back while he gives the keys

to Putin. The only thing keeping me halfway sane right now are the words of an astrologer.

[Midnight Writer]

31. I thought Paul Krassner was dead.

[yuiyoshida]

32. Totally wtf?

[onetexan]

38. So where is chuck todd now re: optics?

[anarch]

39. LOL...the golf clubs...

and the fistful of money in the other talons...hilarious, and truly appropriate. This version seems much more appropriate for dipshit than the actual one, which should really never be associated with this buffoon.

[demmiblue]

40. Heh!

[lindysalsagal]

41. Great comments: Names removed

Surely there was a hidden camera beneath the seal that allowed Putin to keep his eye on his fat boy plant.

The only thing TRUMP & the TRUTH have in common are five letters.

Trump’s golfing cost taxpayers more than $102 million in travel and security expenses. This comes despite the fact that Trump frequently censured Barack Obama for his love of the sport — he tweeted at least 27 times that Obama played golf too much.
Emblematic of America’s two-faced, unprincipled president.

The idiots probably thought it was a compliment. Seriously.

"I just think Putin would probably approve.” Not only Putin but the traitorous organization called Turning Point - "Turns towards Russia."

A "throw up" ... that's what we're experiencing every day of this regime; as in "vomit." But don't tell the dotard about the doctored seal featuring golf clubs and a two-headed eagle. He'll insist that it be made the official seal.
"...likely to embarrass" ... you kidding? A person has to have at least a shred of self-awareness and humility to feel embarrassment. Americans are embarrassed by this regime daily but the Putin puppet will never be.

Who knew that diaper boy Charlie Kirk would have a rebel in the ranks of such a great organization as Toilet Paper USA? Surely the group that brought us such great thinkers as Candace Owens would be a more tightly run ship.
No way this was an "accident". You don't google "Presidential seal" and come up with this image. It was on purpose and it's hysterical.
The Fanta Menace probably didn't even notice.

Unprofessional is what this regime does. What haven't they screwed up?

Kudos to the AV folks. Lol. I like blaming the min wage workers.

Perfectly appropriate symbol, honest one.

[Major Nikon]

42. Brilliant!

[Blue_Tires]

44. Just your daily reminder that in Russia, the U.S. is their new #1 "reality show"

Link to tweet

[Blue_Tires]

45. I'm not gonna lie -- I needed this...

Oh Jesus H. Christ, I needed this.

Mueller, the hearings, the criticisms, the insults, and the damning news stories just roll off Trump's back; but being made an utter assclown on video at his own fucking public event is hitting Donnie where it hurts the most.

[nolabear]

48. Resistance is everywhere!

[Talitha]

50. Make the Eagle's talons really small.

Put a cell phone in the left beak.
Put a KFC chicken wing in the right beak.
Add a diaper.

[lapucelle]

51. The only thing that could make this any better would be to leave out the "P" in "President"

The eagle in the altered image had two heads, a symbol featured on the national emblem of Russia, the flags of several other countries and the logos for two Trump golf resorts in Scotland. The symbol is often associated with power and empire.

The doctored seal appeared to be the same as one used to sell anti-Trump merchandise in an online store, The Washington Post reported, based on a reader tip. (Requests for comment sent to the store’s social media accounts were not immediately answered.)

In that seal, the eagle clutches golf clubs and what appears to be a wad of money in its talons. The banner above its head reads “45 Es un Títere,” Spanish for “45 Is a Puppet.” And a shield across the eagle’s chest features five instances of the hammer and sickle, a Communist symbol associated with the Russian Revolution.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/us/politics/presidential-seal-trump.html?login=email&auth=login-email

[Brother Buzz]

52. Here's a reasonable mock-up of it

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212315372#post13

[lapucelle]

53. That's even better...you can see the hammers and sickles.

Too bad Trump doesn't have advance staff who can tell the difference between Latin and Spanish.