“You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect a king” is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying is often meant to refer to a United States president. The origin of the saying is uncertain.
   
“For 47 years we’ve been able to look our customers squarely in the eye and say ‘we guarantee our quality.’ It’s an old story. ‘You can put a crown on a clown’s head, but you can’t make him a king’” was printed in a clothing store advertisement in The Daily News (Frederick, MD) on October 7, 1938. “You can put a crown on a clown, but that doesn’t make him a king #lifetruth #quoteme” was posted on Twitter by Baseball Comeback on October 13, 2013.
   
“You can’t put a crown on a clown, and expect a king or queen” was posted on Twitter by NANS on September 19, 2014. “You can’t put a crown on a clown and be expecting a king or queen” was posted on Twitter by SPANKY on September 24, 2014. “You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect a king” was posted on Twitter by kagiso on September 25, 2014. “You cant put a crown on a clown, and expect a KING or QUEEN” was posted on Twitter by Qwesi Noble later on September 25, 2014.
 
The song “False King” (2016) by Kelsey Waldon includes the lyrics:
   
“You can’t place a crown on the head of a clown
And then a’hope he turns out to be a king.”
     
“You cant put a Crown on A Clown & expect him to behave like a King…” was posted on Twitter by D!£ #@®D !N$ÅFï¥âñ on December 21, 2014. “You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect him to behave like a king…” was posted on Twitter by Trina on January 26, 2015. “You cannot put a crown on a clown & expect him to behave like a king” (shown on a meme, with U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump in clown face) was posted on Twitter by ncgazette on November 28, 2016.
         
   
Newspapers.com
7 October 1938, The Daily News (Frederick, MD), pg. 6, col. 6 ad:
For 47 years we’ve been able to look our customers squarely in the eye and say “we guarantee our quality.” It’s an old story. “You can put a crown on a clown’s head, but you can’t make him a king.”
(Kemp’s Men’s Store.—ed.)
 
Twitter
Baseball Comeback
@BaseballComebak
You can put a crown on a clown, but that doesn’t make him a king #lifetruth #quoteme
1:09 PM · Oct 13, 2013·Twitter for Android
   
Twitter
Brendan Rolfe
@BrendanRolfe
You can put a crown on a clown, but that doesn’t make him a king #lifetruth #quoteme
1:10 PM · Oct 13, 2013·Twitter for Android
 
Twitter
NANS
@adorablenandy
You can’t put a crown on a clown, and expect a king or queen
12:40 AM · Sep 19, 2014·Twitter Web Client
     
Twitter
SPANKY
@MrZlife_
You can’t put a crown on a clown and be expecting a king or queen..
12:29 PM · Sep 24, 2014·Twitter for iPhone
 
Twitter
kagiso
@_King_Kagiso
You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect a king
3:53 AM · Sep 25, 2014·Twitter for Android
   
Twitter
Qwesi Noble
@NobleQuansah
You cant put a crown on a clown, and expect a KING or QUEEN..
10:37 AM · Sep 25, 2014·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
IG: @WE713
@WillEyard
You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect a King/Queen
9:43 PM · Sep 25, 2014·Plume for Android
   
Twitter
forever21
@Quay_Nkise
Cant put a crown on a clown and expect a king or queen
9:04 AM · Sep 26, 2014·Twitter for iPhone
   
Twitter
LadyBugMajors
@lady_majors
You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect a King or a Queen
2:23 PM · Oct 20, 2014·Twitter for iPhone
   
Twitter
D!£ #@®D !N$ÅFï¥âñ
@REHMA_NOMANI
You cant put a Crown on A Clown & expect him to behave like a King…
9:47 AM · Dec 21, 2014·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Trina ✌
@TrinaJayUK
You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect him to behave like a king…
6:58 PM · Jan 26, 2015·Twitter for iPhone
   
Twitter
Tybria
@TybriaPless
You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect him to behave like a king. #RoyalAdvice
4:32 PM · Feb 22, 2015·Twitter for iPhone
 
Twitter
︎JAYVERSACE
@JAYVERSACE
You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect a king
12:33 AM · Apr 18, 2016·Twitter for iPhone
       
YouTube   
Kelsey Waldon - False King | Audiotree Live
Nov 8, 2016
Audiotree
 
Genius (lyrics)
False King (2016)
Kelsey Waldon
Entitlement only leads to disappointment
Because you can’t never hang on too long to anything
They’ve given him a microphone and a song to sing
He’s saying big old words, and he don’t know what they mean
You can’t place a crown on the head of a clown
And then a’hope he turns out to be a king
 
Twitter 
ncgazette
@ncgazette
you can’t put a crown on a clown and expect him to behave like a king
(“You cannot put a crown on a clown & expect him to behave like a king” is shown on a meme, with U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump in clown face.—ed.)
7:02 PM · Nov 28, 2016·Twitter Web Client
 
The Hollywood Gossip
Rosie O’Donnell Posts Anti-Donald Trump Threat: LESS THAN 3 WEEKS TO STOP HIM AMERICA!
by Free Britney at January 2, 2017 12:31 pm.
Wishing harm on President-Elect of the United States Donald J. Trump on Twitter is one of the hottest new trends here in 2016-17.
(...)
And, she shared a re-tweeted of Trump depicted as a clown, reading, “You cannot put a crown on a clown & expect him to behave like a king.”
 
Google Books
What Mother Said, What Mother Meant:
A Collection of Old-Time Sayings for Everyday Living
By Dedra R. Ottley  
Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press
2017
Pg. ?:
You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect a king or a ring on a prostitute and expect a queen or a housewife.
 
Google Books
Strife of the Scions
By Rohini Menon
Chennai, India: Notion Press
2018
Pg. ?:
“You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect him to be a king.”
 
Twitter
Irishrygirl
@irishrygirl
You cannot put a crown on a clown and expect him to act like a king.
12:43 AM · Mar 4, 2018·Twitter for iPhone
 
Twitter
[Wilted flower.]
@Lxttyvibes
You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect a king.
7:42 PM · May 13, 2019·Twitter for iPhone
 
Twitter
Stephan Labossiere
@StephanSpeaks
You can’t put a crown on a clown and expect a king.
9:28 AM · Jan 21, 2021·Twitter for iPhone
     
Reddit—ConservativeMemes
Posted by u/ghostofcalvincoolige April 30, 2021
You can’t put a crown on a clown
(The following text is shown on an image.—ed.)
YOU CAN’T
PUT A CROWN
ON A CLOWN
AND EXPECT
A KING
 
Twitter
Nova
@DenieceNova
Somebody said: “You can’t put a crown on a clown and call him a king” and that’s real!!
4:36 AM · Sep 6, 2021·Twitter for iPhone