Flags at the White House

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The U.S. flag atop the White House flying at half-staff in 2019 The United States Flag Flies at Half-Staff Atop the White House (48918934896).jpg
The U.S. flag atop the White House flying at half-staff in 2019

The White House and its Executive Residence, the official home of the president of the United States, flies the U.S. flag from a flagpole on its rooftop. The U.S. flag is flown there at all times, and since 2019, the POW/MIA flag as well. [1] [2] Flagpoles on the North and South Lawns were installed in 2025. [3]

Contents

History

Artistic depiction of a July 1918 event in which a Serbian flag was flown over the White House alongside the U.S. one in a show of wartime solidarity; the only non-U.S. flags to have ever been flown over the White House are those of Serbia and France. Serbian flag flying over the White House, 1918.jpg
Artistic depiction of a July 1918 event in which a Serbian flag was flown over the White House alongside the U.S. one in a show of wartime solidarity; the only non-U.S. flags to have ever been flown over the White House are those of Serbia and France.

As the official residence of the U.S. head of state, the White House, on its rooftop flagpole, permanently displays the United States' national flag. [4] [5] That U.S. flag is not lowered or removed from the flagpole when the U.S. president departs from the building's premises, but remains flying. [5] This has been the case since September 1970, when U.S. president Richard Nixon mandated this practice on the suggestion of his wife and the U.S. first lady, Pat Nixon. [4]

Aside from the U.S. flag, other flags have occasionally been flown from the rooftop flagpole on the White House. The only foreign national flags to have been flown there are those of Serbia and France, the former flown alongside the U.S. flag in July 1918 as a show of solidarity by the United States towards the Serbian people during World War I, and the latter done in July 1920 to commemorate the French Bastille Day. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

The U.S. flag displayed on the rooftop flagpole on top of the White House is often lowered to half-staff on the direction of the U.S. president to commemorate a certain occasion or object, such as a person or persons significant to the United States who have recently died (such as prominent political figures and members of Congress). [11] [12]

However the rooftop national flag is never replaced with the presidential standard, even when the U.S. president is in residence (unlike what happens at Buckingham Palace in the UK, for example).[ citation needed ]

The flagpole on the South Lawn after being installed. P20250618MR-2000 President Donald Trump Raises New American Flag on South Lawn of the White House.jpg
The flagpole on the South Lawn after being installed.

On June 18, 2025, President Donald Trump had an 88-foot flagpole (27 m) installed on each of the White House lawns, each flying a large American flag, reportedly spending $100,000 as a personal contribution to the White House. [3] [13] [14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ nps.gov
  2. ↑ "President Trump Signs POW/MIA Flag Act into Law".
  3. 1 2 Glebova, Diana (June 18, 2025). "Trump celebrates $100K 'personal project' of raising two White House flagpoles". The New York Post. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Byron, Jim (September 4, 2012). "9.4.1970 - The Flag Flies High". Richard Nixon Foundation. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Flag Code FAQ part 1: general questions". www.ushistory.org. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  6. ↑ "The Day When the Serbian and U.S. Flags Flew Together Over the White House". U.S. Embassy in Serbia. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Amerikanci se dive Srbima: 'Zbog jednog od vas, na Beloj kući je pre 100 godina bila srpska zastava' (VIDEO)" ["'Americans admire Serbs:' Because of one of you, there was a Serbian flag 100 years ago at the White House"] (in Serbo-Croatian). Serbia: Telegraf.rs. July 22, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  8. ↑ "SRPSKA ZASTAVA VIJORILA SE NA BELOJ KUĆI PRE TAČNO 100 GODINA: Evo kako je došlo do ovog istorijskog događaja" ["THE SERBIAN FLAG WAS FLOWN ON THE WHITE HOUSE EXACTLY 100 YEARS AGO: Here's how this historic event came about."] (in Serbo-Croatian). Serbia: kurir.rs. July 28, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  9. ↑ ambasada, Američka (July 22, 2018). "Zahvaljujući jednom od vas pre sto godina zastava Srbije vijorila se iznad @WhiteHouse kao i na svim zgradama i javnim institucijama u glavom gradu SAD" [Thanks to one of you a hundred years ago, the Serbian flag hovers above @WhiteHouse and all buildings and public institutions in the US capital.]. Zahvaljujući jednom od vas pre sto godina zastava Srbije vijorila se iznad @WhiteHouse kao i na svim zgradama i javnim institucijama u glavom gradu SAD.
  10. ↑ "VI STE SVET: Ambasada SAD u Beogradu odala počast Srbiji zbog izuzetnog doprinosa čovečanstvu" [YOU ARE THE WORLD: The US Embassy in Belgrade pays tribute to Serbia for its outstanding contribution to humanity]. kurir.rs. July 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2020. VI STE SVET: Ambasada SAD u Beogradu odala počast Srbiji zbog izuzetnog doprinosa čovečanstvu
  11. ↑ "Presidential Proclamation on the Death of Elijah E. Cummings". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
  12. ↑ "Proclamation on Honoring the Victims of the Tragedy in Virginia Beach, Virginia". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
  13. ↑ Megerian, Chris; Superville, Darlene (June 18, 2025). "Trump remakes the White House with new flagpoles". Associated Press News . Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  14. ↑ Crosbie, Michael J. "Trump's White House Ballroom Drawings and Numbers Just Don't Add Up". Common Edge. Retrieved August 20, 2025.

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