In a significant policy shift, the Trump administration has prohibited U.S. embassies and consulates around the world from flying any flag other than the American flag. The State Department memo, titled “One flag policy,” appears to take direct aim at instances during the Biden presidency when diplomatic outposts displayed LGBTQ+ pride flags and Black Lives Matter banners.
The directive, which took effect immediately, mandates that “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.” It asserts that the Stars and Stripes “united all Americans under the universal principles of justice, liberty, and democracy.”
Reversing Diversity Efforts
This restrictive flag policy aligns with a broader push by the Trump White House to roll back federal initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). On his first day back in office, President Trump signed an executive order halting all DEI programs across government agencies.
The values of justice, liberty, and democracy “are the bedrock of our great country” and “are shared by all American citizens, past and present,” the State Department memo proclaimed in justifying the sole display of the U.S. flag.
Another day-one presidential order established that there are only two sexes, male and female, in what critics decried as an attack on the legal recognition of nonbinary individuals. The rapid-fire directives signaled that erasing symbols of diversity, both figurative and literal, would be a top priority for Trump’s restored administration.
Targeting Activist Symbols
The State Department’s “one flag” rule seems specifically designed to prevent the prominent display of pride flags and BLM banners at U.S. embassies, as occurred on multiple occasions during the Biden administration. In June 2023, pride flags flanked the Stars and Stripes at a White House celebration, igniting outrage from conservatives.
While exemptions to the policy exist for the POW/MIA flag and the recently-created Hostages and Wrongful Detainees flag, no such carveouts were offered for LGBTQ+ people or racial justice causes. By literally elevating the U.S. flag above all others, the policy sends an unmistakable message about which communities and social movements the administration deems worthy of official recognition.
Domestic Impact and Outlook
While the State Department rule governs only diplomatic facilities, it mirrors a wider domestic conservative backlash against diversity-affirming symbols in government spaces. Republican-led state legislatures have advanced a record number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills, often targeting transgender youth. Concerted campaigns against critical race theory have chilled classroom discussions of systemic racism.
As the 2024 election nears, such “culture war” issues are likely to remain at the forefront. The Trump administration’s forceful stance against diversity-themed flags at embassies suggests it will not shy away from polarizing social debates as it seeks to energize its base and complete an against-the-odds return to power.
Yet as U.S. society grows increasingly diverse and progressive attitudes gain traction globally, attempts to squelch visible markers of inclusion may prove shortsighted. While Old Glory flies solo over embassies for now, the allure of a broader, more colorful tableau of American values endures in the civic imagination.
