The graphic designer responsible for the trolling presidential seal that appeared behind President Trump at a Turning Point USA Summit has been discovered.
Charles Leazott, 46, created the mock logo in the aftermath of the 2016 election, according to the Washington Post.
He had been a Republican, voting for George W. Bush twice, but the Trump-era GOP is not the party he supports, which caused him to use his talents to create the fake seal.
“This is the most petty piece of art I have ever created,” Leazott said.
It was originally intended to entertain primarily family and friends and not a large audience.
Four main differences appear on the fake seal. These include two eagle heads instead of one, which is a direct nod to the Russian Coat of Arms; golf clubs replace the traditional 13 arrows clutched in the eagle’s left claw; cash clutched in the eagle’s right claw instead of the olive branch; and a motto that reads “45 es un titere,” which appears to translate from Spanish to mean, “45 is a puppet,” instead of the official Latin “e pluribus unum.”
“I’m a graphic designer, it’s just something I tossed together,” he said. “This was just a goofy thing for some people I knew. I had no idea it would blow up like this.”
But somehow, the seal appeared on-screen for a full 80 seconds as Trump entered a room full of cheers Tuesday. The technician responsible for the mock presidential seal at the Turning Point USA Summit has since been fired, according to TPUSA officials.
Expert-Level Trolling?
“A representative for Turning Point USA told The Washington Post it was unclear how the symbol came to be shown behind the president, blaming it on a last-minute audio-visual mistake.”https://t.co/guCf5sYhsI
— Democratic Coalition (@TheDemCoalition) July 25, 2019
A spokesman for TPUSA addressed the issue, saying, “We did let the individual go. I don’t think it was malicious intent, but nevertheless.”
The Turning Point spokesman had previously said that, “It was a last-minute A/V mistake — and I can’t figure out where the breakdown was — but it was a last minute throw-up, and that’s all it was.”
Richard Painter, who served as the chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush from 2005 to 2007, told the Washington Post that the faux pas was “careless” and explained that the White House should traditionally have advanced knowledge and control over all elements of the president’s appearance. This includes all photos, videos, and other images used.
“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.”
But Leazott vehemently disagrees with Turning Point’s assessment that it was an accidental last-minute image grab from a Google search for presidential seals.
“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.”
Merchandise with the fake seal has since picked up steam in online marketplaces. But Leazott is more grateful for another opportunity this gave him.
“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.”
He now uses the picture of Trump in front of his altered seal as the background on his computer.
