Months after President Donald Trump highlighted the installation of two prominent flagpoles on the White House grounds, new photos have prompted criticism that he may have violated U.S. flag code.
Trump returned to Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Nov. 16, after a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. As he walked across the South Lawn, cameras captured him passing a flagpole where the American flag appeared to be lowered close to the ground.
After the image circulated widely online, critics questioned why the flag seemed to be drooping or touching the surface below.
In response, White House spokesman Davis Ingle pushed back on the claim. “This is fake news,” he said in a statement. “The beautiful American flag on the White House South Lawn that was recently installed by President Trump never touched the ground. Due to the high winds on Sunday evening in the Washington, D.C. area, the flag was lowered into a special container out of an abundance of caution during the Marine One landing.”
According to Title 4 of the U.S. Flag Code, Chapter 1, “The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.”
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Back in August, Trump issued an executive order directing the Justice Department to aggressively pursue cases involving the desecration of the American flag. The order followed reports of flag burning at anti-Trump demonstrations in major cities.
“The American flag is the most sacred and cherished symbol of the United States of America,” the White House said at the time. “Desecrating it is uniquely and inherently offensive and provocative… The Order directs the Attorney General to vigorously prosecute those who violate our laws in ways that involve desecrating the flag, and to pursue litigation to clarify the scope of First Amendment in this area.”
The U.S. Flag Code also notes that a flag may be flown around the clock if properly illuminated after dark. In the photo taken Sunday night, flags were already flying at half-staff nationwide following the death of former Vice President Dick Cheney. Flags are set to remain lowered until Cheney’s funeral on Thursday, Nov. 20.
Trump previously spoke with reporters about the installation of the new flagpoles on June 18, while crews were still working on the project. “They’ve needed flag poles for 200 years,” he said. “They have a little one on top — very little one… It’s going to be two beautiful poles. Paid for by Trump… Close to a hundred feet.” Later reports estimated the height at around 88 feet.
The flagpole construction preceded Trump’s plans for a major overhaul of the White House, including a new ballroom currently under development. Despite the recent government shutdown, demolition continued on the East Wing as work progressed on the $300 million project.
According to an ABC News report on Oct. 24, some senior administration officials had already begun referring to the venue as “The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom.” While the name has not been officially confirmed, the outlet indicated the moniker is likely to stick. When asked about the ballroom’s title, Trump smiled and declined to reveal details, saying only, “I won’t get into that now.”
White House spokesman Davis Ingle advised skepticism toward anonymous reports, adding: “Any announcement made on the name of the ballroom will come directly from President Trump himself, and not through anonymous and unnamed sources.”
The name would match a long list of Trump-branded properties — including towers, hotels, golf courses, and clubs — and follow a similar trend with other renovations to the presidential residence. For example, Trump recently rebranded the restored White House Rose Garden as “The Rose Garden Club at the White House,” leaning into the private-club aesthetic he favors at Mar-a-Lago.
