Wait a Split Second, Is Trump Actually Banning Pride Flags?

In a country that preaches “freedom of speech” and “opportunity for everyone,” it can sometimes feel a little one-sided. People are often quick to judge the views, beliefs, and preferences of others that don’t align with their own, yet they get pretty defensive when their own views are questioned.

Take the Pride flag, for example. Some people feel it has no place flying anywhere in the nation, and a few even think it should be banned.

But until the U.S. becomes a totalitarian or authoritarian state, wanting the Pride flag removed, which proudly represents the LGBTQ+ community, is just that, a preference. But is it really?

The last we heard, President Donald Trump was discussing banning Pride flags during a press conference in the Oval Office. So, what’s the deal with that?

President Donald Trump isn’t banning the Pride flag, as he would face too many legal roadblocks, freedom of speech being the main one. But he would if he could. During a press conference in the Oval Office on Sept. 16, Trump was asked by a reporter if he would oppose having the Pride flag removed from the streets of D.C., which the reporter referred to as a “trans flag.”

Trump replied, “I wouldn’t be,” but then added that people “would sue and then they’ll get freedom of speech stuff,” signaling that any attempt to remove or ban Pride flags, at least from the streets of Washington, D.C., would violate First Amendment protections.

For context, the reporter’s question followed a discussion about recent shootings involving transgender individuals, and Trump claimed that “a lot of people are threatened by this flag.”

He also said the Pride flag “means a lot of different negative things to people,” including violence. That prompted the question about essentially banning Pride flags, at least in Washington, D.C.

Trump then pivoted to discussing an order his administration is trying to implement addressing violence that occurs when people burn the American flag, which, by the way, is legal because it is considered a form of free speech.

While people can’t be jailed for simply burning the flag, it seems the administration hopes that anyone whose flag-burning sparks violence could face criminal penalties.

While Trump can’t directly get the Pride flag banned from homes and streets (though never say never, as we are living in unprecedented times), he has had all flags, including Pride flags, removed from State Department facilities around the world.

In January 2025, Trump announced that he wanted all flags aside from the American flag that displays the Stars and Stripes banned, and that policy was pushed through.

This means any consular posts are now only permitted to fly American flags, meaning no Pride flags or Black Lives Matter flags can be raised at these government entities.

While the Pride flag did once get a chance to stand proudly and wave in the wind during the 2023 Pride Month celebration held at the White House, per The Guardian, don’t expect that to happen again anytime soon.