Piers Morgan’s attempt to wish President Donald Trump well ahead of his meeting with Vladimir Putin quickly went viral for all the wrong reasons. On Friday morning, the British broadcaster praised Trump on X, calling him someone who “genuinely prefers peace to war.”
However, the image he attached—a Photoshopped picture of Trump waving atop Air Force One while sporting large, red kneepads—sent a far different message. Morgan quickly deleted the post and explained in a follow-up that he hadn’t noticed the mockingly altered protective gear at first.
He later reposted his original sentiment with a different photograph sourced from Fox News’ X account. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the social media mishap. Trump’s high-profile summit with Putin is taking place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
It marks the first in-person meeting between a U.S. president and the Russian leader since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Trump, who repeatedly pledged during his 2024 campaign that he would end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office, said en route to Alaska that he would “not be happy” if Putin did not agree to cease hostilities against Ukraine.
The president told Fox News aboard Air Force One that he might “walk” if the discussions proved unsatisfactory. “We’re going for a meeting with President Putin in Alaska,” Trump said to Fox News anchor Bret Baier. “And I think it’s going to work out very well, and if it doesn’t, I’m going to head back home real fast.”
The summit began with ceremonial fanfare, including a military flyover, a red carpet welcome, and a private ride together in The Beast, Trump’s presidential limousine. Trump even applauded Putin, who the International Criminal Court wants for alleged war crimes, as he arrived on U.S. soil.
Notably absent from the talks is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been left out of the high-stakes negotiations. Morgan’s social media misstep underscores how quickly attempts at diplomacy-related commentary can backfire in the age of viral images, especially when the visual message contradicts the intended tone. The kneepads meme has since circulated widely, overshadowing the original message of peace Morgan sought to convey.