Creator of Presidential Seal Edited to Look Russian Lauds ‘Best Troll Ever’
Charles Leazott was shocked when he saw his emblem next to the president, but is absolutely delighted that it happened.

Reuters / Jonathan Ernst
The man who created the presidential seal edited with Russia and golf symbols that Donald Trump spoke in front of says he was shocked but delighted to see his work used in the apparent practical joke. Charles Leazott, a 46-year-old graphic designer, told The Washington Post he’d completely forgotten about the artwork until he was scrolling Reddit Thursday morning and saw the president in front of it. “It’s been chaos... this is not what I expected when I woke up today... This was just a goofy thing for some people I knew,” he said. A Turning Point USA staffer responsible for displaying the image behind the president has been fired, and Leazott is certain the culprit did it on purpose, saying: “You have to look for this. There’s no way this was an accident is all I’m saying.” He added that the person was “either wildly incompetent or the best troll ever—either way, I love them.”
“But I’ve got to be honest,” the former Republican told the Post. “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.”
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