OAN Staff Blake Wolf
5:49 PM – Wednesday, January 22, 2025
President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. State Department to prohibit flying any flag that is not the official United States of America flag, including the LGBTQ pride flag and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) flag.
Advertisement
“Starting immediately, only the United States of America flag is authorized to be flown or displayed at U.S. facilities, both domestic and abroad, and featured in U.S. government content,” the memo stated, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
The “One Flag Policy” does, however, provide an exception for the Prisoner of War/Missing In Action flag, along with the Wrongful Detainees flag.
The order reportedly comes directly from the desk of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was recently unanimously confirmed by the Senate on Monday.
“The flag of the United States of America united all Americans under the universal principles of justice, liberty, and democracy. These values, which are the bedrock of our great country, are shared by all American citizens, past and present,” the memo continued.
“The U.S. flag is a powerful symbol of pride and it is fitting and respectful that only the U.S. flag be flown or displayed at U.S. facilities, both domestically and abroad.”
The Biden administration has flown pride flags outside of the White House during the month of June, “Pride Month,” for the last few years — garnering pushback from conservatives on social media.
Trump also previously banned pride flags from being flown outside of U.S. embassies during his first term, only to be reinstated by former President Joe Biden.
The Trump administration’s decision to ban pride flags and other political flags outside of official government buildings is the latest move in a series of orders to rollback Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, differing from the prior administration.
Additionally, President Trump has vowed to expel the federal workforce from discriminatory-based hiring initiatives — as he recently ordered the shutdown of all federal DEI offices in an effort to return “America to a merit based society where people are hired based on their skills, not for the color of their skin.”
The order adds that any State Department employees who do not adhere to the new policy will “face disciplinary action, including termination of employment or contract, or reassignment to their home agency.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Advertisements below