#45IsAPuppet trends after Trump appears in front of altered presidential seal

The hashtag #45IsAPuppet trended on Twitter Thursday after President Trump appeared in front of an altered presidential seal during a Turning Point USA event this week.

Trump spoke Wednesday at an event in Washington, D.C., hosted by the young conservative group. The president appeared in front of an image that was later revealed to be a fake version of the seal.

{mosads}The altered seal featured a banner reading “45 es un titere,” Spanish for “45 is a puppet.” It also appeared to feature an image of a two-headed eagle — an image similar to that of the Russian Federation’s coat of arms — holding a number of golf clubs, an apparent reference to Trump’s frequent visits to the several golf clubs he owns.

Trump famously pushed back against his then-Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton’s characterization of him as a “puppet” of Russian President Vladimir Putin during the 2016 presidential debates.

Hundreds on Twitter knocked the president and applauded the seal and its creator.

“Who ever doctored that Presidential seal has my undying respect and love, well done,” one Twitter user wrote.

Who ever doctored that Presidential seal has my undying respect and love, well done. #45isapuppet pic.twitter.com/gfApqDx6ka

— Oliver Bartlett (@SmithWoodward) July 25, 2019

“Well the seal ain’t wrong,” another tweeted.

One user shared a GIF of a Trump puppet doll controlled by a hand seemingly operated by Putin.

There’s no denying that #45IsAPuppet… pic.twitter.com/31IVJioPhk

— McSpocky™ (@mcspocky) July 25, 2019 

The fake seal was only briefly visible as Trump walked onstage and was quickly replaced by the authentic one, but a Turning Point aide was reportedly fired over what was either a glaring error or a deliberate prank.

A White House spokesman told The Hill officials had not seen the seal before it was displayed. A Turning Point USA spokesman told The Washington Post that it was “an A/V mistake” and “certainly wasn’t our intention.”