Trump Elevates Viral — But Fake — Social Media Rumor That He Has Denzel Washington’s Support

(Chris Pizzello/Alex Brandon/AP photos)

President Donald Trump claimed to have the support of celebrated actor Denzel Washington in a social media post on Monday morning that was quickly disproven.

During a Columbus Day Truth Social re-posting spree, the president shared a curious post from “Red Eagle Updates.”

“BOOM: Denzel Washington: “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.”

The post then posed the question, “Do you agree with Denzel? YES or NO?”

The quote, however, is a complete fabrication, as a Snopes investigation of the post “found no reporting that Washington spoke favorably of Trump”:

If any actor of Washington’s prominence who had never publicly expressed such support in the past were to say the words attributed to them in the meme, national and international outlets covering entertainment and politics would have widely reported it. We found no such reporting.

The truth of the matter is that the Oscar winner rarely talks politics, and hasn’t endorsed Trump in either of his three White House campaigns.

It’s not the first time Washington has been the subject of viral Trump endorsement rumors.

In 2016, a made-up Facebook post indicated that the Malcolm X star had endorsed Trump for president, and blasted then-President Barack Obama as “anti-Christian” to boot.

Speaking to the BBC after it went viral among right-wing social media users, Washington’s publicist, Alan Nierob, said, “The story is 100% complete fabrication.”

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