President Donald Trump shared a graphic on Truth Social on Oct. 12 featuring Denzel Washington and a flattering statement about Trump. The post drew attention because Washington rarely discusses politics publicly. However, as Atlanta Black Star reported, the quote attributed to the actor has no credible evidence to support it.
The post said Washington had “never met anyone braver, smarter, or who cares more about America than Donald Trump.” It also called Trump a “great friend.” Trump shared the screenshot without explaining where it came from. The quote has no credible evidence to support it, and the graphic appears to have circulated before Trump’s post.
The same quote has also circulated with other names, including Matthew McConaughey and Mick Jagger. The graphic first appeared on X from an account called Red Eagle Updates, which asked followers to vote “YES or NO” on whether they agreed with “Denzel.”
Washington’s political record tells a different story
Washington’s public record points the other way. He gave money to Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. He also donated to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 run against Trump. Users on X spotted the problem fast. “Denzel Washington didn’t say this. It is fake. Denzel doesn’t even like Trump. lol,” one wrote. Another opened with “ANOTHER LIE!”
A third user wrote “Fake News President” and noted that “the exact same quote template has previously been falsely attributed to other celebrities.” Another answered the poll with “No and it’s fake anyway.” One more wrote, “He’s really desperate.”
This is not the first time Trump’s account has shared words that were not a celebrity’s own. In April, he posted a long rant about his critics and credited it to Clint Eastwood. Snopes later traced the words to a New Hampshire state lawmaker.
Fake endorsements have come up before. In 2024, Trump shared AI-generated images that suggested Taylor Swift fans were backing him. That same year, his account pushed a claim that JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon had endorsed him. The bank quickly denied it.
Swift later addressed Trump’s use of those AI-generated images when she publicly endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024. By then, the fabricated endorsement had already circulated widely, leaving Swift to address a political claim she had never made. At the time of writing, the Denzel graphic had more than 14,000 likes on Truth Social.
Published: Oct 14, 2026 10:45 am