Donald Trump appears to violate the US flag code in a viral clip

A clip of Donald Trump writing his name on an American flag has gone viral as people accuse him of seemingly violating the U.S. Flag Code.

In a clip posted on X by Patriot Takes — an account that describes itself as a supporter of “committed research, monitoring and exposure of right-wing extremism and other threats to democracy” — the former president is seen writing what looks like his signature on the fabric with a black marker.

Several members of the public stand around a table holding down the flag while Trump scribbles on one of its white stripes.

The clip has been viewed nearly a million times since it was posted on September 12, 2024, a day after the former president attended a memorial event for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. The post suggested that the footage was shot on the anniversary of September 11, although Newsweek couldn't verify when the video was recorded.

According to Section 8 of the U.S. Flag Code, “No sign, badge, letter, word, figure, design, picture or drawing of any kind shall ever be placed upon the flag or upon any part thereof.”

A Trump spokesman was contacted by Newsweek for a comment.

Trump appears to be familiar with the code, referring to it in a 2017 speech in which he spoke about the importance of respecting the American flag.

The former president said: “In 1942, Congress adopted the United States Flag Code, creating official standards for the treatment of our beloved flag. Through this code, we teach each new American generation to always show our flag the respect it deserves.”

Although there are no penalties or violations for violating the U.S. Flag Code, the regulations state that it is “important to respect the guidelines as a sign of patriotism and respect for the country.”

Trump has expressed his love for the flag over the years by hugging it, including during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February of this year.

He also hugged the U.S. flag in June 2018 at the end of a speech to the National Federation of Independent Businesses, when he walked to a standing flag at the side of the stage and hugged the American symbol, so Mashable.

He also did this during his 2016 election campaign, the news agency reported. There is nothing in the US Flag Code that prohibits hugging a flag.

Trump is not the only political figure to have come under fire for violating the flag code. In June 2023, after President Joe Biden hosted a Pride celebration at the White House that featured two U.S. flags and the Progress Pride flag, the president became the subject of online criticism, as reported Reuters.

Under these circumstances, the source said, some argued, this was a violation of U.S. code provisions that require the U.S. flag, when flown by personnel, to be “in the center and highest point of the group” of flags.

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