Trump speech features the art of the seal
WASHINGTON — The White House says it didn’t know an altered presidential seal featuring a two-headed eagle clutching golf clubs would be displayed at a speech by President Donald Trump this week.
Trump spoke Tuesday at a Washington hotel where Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization, was hosting a conference for high school students.
Spokesman Judd Deere says officials “never saw the seal” before it was projected on a screen behind Trump as he was introduced at Turning Point USA’s teen summit Tuesday. Instead of the customary bald eagle, the altered image showed a doubleheaded eagle, similar to that featured in Russia’s national emblem. Instead of arrows, the eagle clutches a set of golf clubs in a talon. The altered image also has the flags of several other countries and the logos for two Trump golf resorts in Scotland.
The banner above its head reads “45 Es un Títere,” Spanish for “45 Is a Puppet.”
The real presidential seal has a single-headed bald eagle clutching arrows in one set of talons and an olive branch in the other. A banner above its head bears the motto “E Pluribus Unum,” Latin for “Out of Many, One.”
It is unclear if the president was aware of the fake seal. He spoke for nearly 80 minutes in front of a supportive audience. The real presidential seal appeared on the lectern and on another part of the screen.
A spokesman for Turning Point USA told the Washington Post it fired a video team member for mistakenly displaying the seal.
Deere referred additional questions to Turning Point USA. The conservative group did not immediately return an emailed request for comment Thursday.