In a silent show of support for former President Donald Trump after his guilty verdict in New York, his supporters across the country flipped the American flag upside down.
The inverted flag was spotted outside Trump Tower on Thursday, when Trump returned from the Manhattan courthouse having been found guilty of 34 felony counts related to the falsification of business records.
Since the Manhattan jury returned with the guilty verdict, Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump, who is Trump’s daughter-in-law, and his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., have shared multiple images of inverted American flags online.
Rep. Marjorie Greene (R-GA) also posted an inverted flag on her X account minutes after Trump’s guilty verdict came in.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) May 30, 2024
Singer Jason Aldean also posted a flag turned upside down on his Instagram account, per Reuters.
“Scary times in our country right now, man. If there was ever a time to speak up, ITS NOW! Make no mistake. We are in trouble,” he wrote.
The outlet also reported that Don Tapia, a former U.S. ambassador to Jamaica under the Trump administration displayed an inverted flag outside his home in Arizona. According to the Republican donor, motorists honked in agreement with his message as they drove by.
Presidential historian Timothy Naftali told the outlet that the history of the inverted flag dates back to the 1700s, when sailors used it to signal distress. It has also been used in protest by Americans on both sides of the political aisle for the longest time and can be seen as a sort of declaration of “war,” as reported by The Associated Press.
Some of the recent historic moments the inverted flag has been used in protest in America include the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court, after the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot and the death of George Floyd in 2021.
