Donald Trump has always loved rubbing elbows with Hollywood elite, and he has a habit of surrounding himself with people who love him. So when a quote from Denzel Washington praising the president popped onto his radar Monday morning, it’s no surprise that Trump swiftly posted a screengrab of the quote to his Truth Social page.
The problem? It was fake.
“Not real,” Alan Nierob, PMK Entertainment president told The Washington Post in an email statement later Monday. “No idea where it came from.”
At the time of publication, the social media post, which praised Trump as a “great friend” while applauding his political leadership, garnered over 15,000 likes, 4,200 reposts and 1,300 comments.
“I’ve worked with a lot of people in my life, and I’ve never met anyone braver, smarter, or who cares more about America than Donald Trump,” the fake quote, posted by Trump, read. “He’s a great friend and an even better president. I’m proud to be a steadfast supporter, and I’ll never apologize for it.”
The quote was attached to a poll from social media user Red Eagle Updates asking, “Do you agree with Denzel?”
According to fact-checking website Snopes, the quote has circulated before and been falsely attributed to other A-list entertainers, including Matthew McConaughey and Mick Jagger, The Washington Post reported.
In addition to shutting down the veracity of the quote, Washington rep Nierob told the Post that he had “no idea” whether the actor had even met the president.
Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Previously, Washington was a staunch supporter of President Barack Obama, donating to his 2008 campaign and attending his inauguration in January 2009. But the actor typically keeps his political opinions close to the vest. In 2012 told GQ he identifies as an independent and would never go into politics himself.
“I’m an independent. In some ways I’m liberal, and other ways I’m conservative,” he said. “We get so locked in on ‘you have to be this or that.’ It’s ridiculous. I’m not a liberal or a conservative completely. Who is? Or why do you have to be? You assess the pros, the cons, of both sides and you make an intelligent decision.”
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