Modern Family's Ed O'Neill Isn't Shy About His Feelings On Donald Trump

Ed O'Neil, the actor behind Modern Family's lovable curmudgeon Jay Pritchett, has a different take on Donald Trump than the GOP's "caring tough guy" narrative. The veteran actor had a Zoom chat with author David Pepper (which was later uploaded to YouTube), where he shared his thoughts on America, politics, and the former Republican president. Not mincing words, O'Neill described Trump as an arrogant liar and a braggart. To further his point, he shared a story about an infamous plaque located at the 15th hole of Trump's Potomac River golf course located in Lowes Island, Virginia.

Never forget this story about Trump, told so masterfully by Ed O'Neill: "what kind of a man would do that?" pic.twitter.com/M6zgGffIap

— David Pepper (@DavidPepper) September 14, 2020

"[Donald Trump is] quoted on the plaque as saying, 'This is where the Blood River Battle took place, and I'm proud to honor both North and South soldiers who fought here on this historic spot where so many lost their lives that this Potomac River became red with blood." O'Neil went on the point out the major issue with the plaque: "Only one problem; there was never any such battle. He made it up. Now David, what kind of a man would do that?"

Ed O'Neill isn't the only public figure to highlight a part of Donald Trump's questionable golf course reputation. As early as 2015, there were whispers about the authenticity of the story on the plaque, which is actually located in the middle of the 14th hole and the 15th tee.

On a quest for evidence, The New York Times spoke to Richard Gillespie, who was, at the time, the director general of a historical preservation association in Virginia, and he had this to say: "Nope, not there." Gillespie added that the only battle that occurred near the Potomac River took place in 1861 and wasn't in the same location as Trump's golf course. It was a civil war termed the "Battle of Ball's Bluff," and there was a distance of more than 11 miles between the battle site and the river.

The Times also spoke to two other experts who confirmed that Trump had made his story up. The third expert even claimed to have written to him about the plaque's inaccuracies, to no avail. So, did Trump entirely make up the story? Not quite. It turns out that the Blood River Battle is actually real — only that it happened continents away, in Southern Africa.

Apart from fact-checking golfing stories, Ed O'Neil has a bone to pick with Donald Trump for the stolen election hoax. The MAGA leader encouraged his followers to "fight like hell," and some of his allies, such as Mike Lindell, the My Pillow guy, spent a ton of money trying to overturn the 2020 elections. Trump even pushed GOP lawmakers to vote in favor of his rigged-election narrative. One of the many politicians who complied was Bill Johnson, a United States Representative of Ohio at the time. O'Neill and Johnson happen to be from the same Ohio city, Youngstown.

When Youngstown University — which had previously given O'Neill an honorary degree in 2013 — decided to make Bill Johnson its president, O'Neil was among the many who protested. The actor even appeared on "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" to slam Johnson for supporting Donald Trump even though he had been found guilty of sexual assault and other criminal charges.

"Now we're going in with this fella [Johnson] who has no experience in higher education. He's a polarizing guy, an election denier, not the biggest fan of the gay community, he's anti-choice" (via YouTube). He also criticized the university's election process stating that it was unusually secretive as the other contestants weren't revealed. It's safe to say that Ed O'Neil, just like Eric Braeden, is pretty clear about how he feels about Donald Trump.