A weathered American flag lies crumpled on the pristine green grass of the White House South Lawn, with President Trump in a dark suit walking past it, captured from behind in a photorealistic style.
President Trump Walks Past Fallen American Flag on White House South Lawn
On November 16, 2025, President Donald Trump returned to the White House from his Mar-a-Lago residence as an American flag lay on the ground of the South Lawn, creating a striking visual that quickly circulated across social media and news outlets. The incident occurred near the newly installed flagpoles that the president had personally overseen just months earlier.
The Incident
Photographs and video footage captured the moment when President Trump walked past the fallen flag, which was fully extended on the grass. The flag appeared to have fallen from one of the two nearly 100-foot-tall flagpoles that were installed on the White House grounds in June 2025 as part of an initiative to enhance national symbolism at the executive residence.
Initial Explanations
Freelance journalist Andrew Leyden initially suggested that rotor wash from Marine One, the presidential helicopter, might have caused the flag to fall. However, he later revised this theory, proposing that the flag may have been lowered beforehand due to maintenance or mechanical issues with the flagpoles. The White House has not issued an official statement regarding the circumstances surrounding the flag's descent.
Flag Code Considerations
The incident raised questions about flag etiquette, as the U.S. Flag Code explicitly states that the American flag "should never touch anything beneath it, including the ground." The code provides detailed guidelines for proper flag handling and display, though it does not prescribe legal penalties for violations.
Public Reaction
The image of the fallen flag sparked immediate discussion on social media platforms, with users expressing a range of opinions about the incident. Some viewed it as a concerning breach of protocol, while others considered it an unfortunate but understandable occurrence given the potential mechanical issues.
Resolution
By the morning of November 17, the flag had been rehoisted and was flying properly from the White House flagpole. The incident occurred against the backdrop of the Trump administration's emphasis on patriotic symbolism, including the recent installation of the massive flagpoles that the president had personally participated in raising earlier in the year.
The prompt for this was: President Trump walking past the flag at the Whitehouse which has fallen to the ground
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