Donald Trump has shared a quote by Denzel Washington praising him, even though the Oscar winner never actually said anything about the president.
Trump, 80, reshared a quote attributed to Washington, 71, in which the Oscar winner praised the president. Red Eagles Updates, a MAGA account on X with more than 700,000 followers, originally posted the quote.
“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. 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,” reads the remark.
But according to Snopes, Washington never actually said this. The fact-checking website concluded that the quote was incorrectly attributed to Washington and has previously been attributed to other A-listers like Matthew McConaughey and Mick Jagger. Far-right accounts have posted the quote attached to various celebrities who have not publicly praised Trump in this manner.
Trump, however, does not seem to realize the quote was fake, sharing it early Monday morning.
In reality, Washington has never spoken favorably about Trump to the media, as Snopes reports.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and Washington’s representatives for comment.
Washington has previously donated to Democratic candidates, according to Federal Election Commission data. He made contributions of $28,500 toward Barack Obama’s election and $27,000 toward Hillary Clinton, who faced off against Trump in 2016.
The Training Day actor, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Joe Biden, has previously said we are all “slaves” to political manipulation.
“We’re all slaves to information now. We really are,” he told The Sunday Times in 2024. “We’re all slaves. So whatever you feel about the leaders, like this guy’s crazy or the other one is sane, you’d better realize you’re being manipulated by both sides. Period.”
