Donald Trump Walks by American Flag on the Ground at the White House

Pictures of President Donald Trump ignoring the American flag on the ground at the White House as he walked by has folks talking about his return from his Florida Mar-a-Lago residence. Trump returned from his home in Palm Beach on Nov. 16, 2025, and the American flag on a newly installed flagpole was blown down by the Marine One the rotor wash.

According to Newsweek, the American flag code says that the U.S. flag should never touch anything beneath it, especially the ground: "The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise."

The image of Trump walking past the flag on the ground in the night as lights illuminate the downed flag is causing an uproar online, and people had a lot to say about it.

Trump has been busy renovating the White House during his second term. So far, he has bulldozed and paved over the Rose Garden, begun construction on a $300 million ballroom, and renovated the Oval Office with gold. The president also had two 88-foot-tall flagpoles installed on the White House grounds.

Back in June, the White House shared a post on Instagram announcing that the new flags had been installed, along with a video showing the installation.

"Two new flagpoles now rise at the White House — proud, unwavering, and free. This isn’t just a symbol; it’s the American story — written in sacrifice, stitched with courage, and raised for all the world to see. One nation. Under God. Forever proud."

One X user shared a picture of the flag on the ground with the caption, "The flag on the ground at the White House. Yikes!"

After seeing the American flag on the ground, several people weighed in on social media, including several Reddit users. One user wrote, "Is this one of his new flag poles? Only the best?"

Another user posted, "You mean the 88ft poles? The ones they specifically brag about being 88ft tall on the white house website? The Heil Hitler poles? Those ones?"

The X account for @OccupyDemocrats posted, "This is how the White House treats the flag of the United States of America? They just let it lie on the ground! I’m sure our U.S. military members who follow the page could share the rules for handling the flag! Once again, Trump is a travesty against our great nation."

Another user joked, "Bought it at Home Depot," a reference to Laura Ingraham asking Trump if the Oval Office gold trim was from Home Depot during an interview.

Journalist Andrew Leyden noted on X that the flag may have been down before the helicopter arrived, but the White House has yet to comment on the flag being on the ground.

"The @POTUS returned to the White House but the rotor wash from Marine One blew down the American flag on the new flagpole," he wrote. "UPDATE: Upon review of additional footage, it appears the flag was down before Marine One arrived. Not sure why."