Why does Trump keep saluting during the national anthem?

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President Donald Trump has made a habit of saluting during the national anthem despite the flag code indicating that he should simply place his hand over his heart.

On Monday night, attending Game 3 of the NBA finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, Trump did it again during the national anthem – as fans loudly booed him.

At first, as those around him – including his granddaughter Kai and several members of his cabinet – put their hands on their hearts, the president stared straight ahead without moving. Then he saluted, before doing a fist pump.

However, there have been questions over whether he should salute during the national anthem at all.

The regulation, 36 U.S. Code § 301, states that during a rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, “individuals in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until the last note.”

“Members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute in the manner provided for individuals in uniform,” the code continues. “All other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.”

It also notes that “when the flag is not displayed, all present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed.”

Trump saluted during the national anthem at an Army-Navy football game, he did so during his inauguration proceedings in January last year, and during a church service at Washington National Cathedral. Everyone else around him placed their hand over their heart - but not the commander-in-chief who went with a salute, despite not being in uniform.

Trump continues to salute during the national anthem despite others around him taking a different approach (AFP via Getty Images)
Trump continues to salute during the national anthem despite others around him taking a different approach (AFP via Getty Images)
Trump salutes during his inauguration. He has made it a habit to salute during the national anthem even though flag code says he shouldn’t (AP)
Trump salutes during his inauguration. He has made it a habit to salute during the national anthem even though flag code says he shouldn’t (AP)
It’s unclear why Trump chooses to salute during the national anthem as he has never served in the armed forces, famously facing allegations that he cited bone spurs to get out of the draft during the Vietnam War.


Edited to add:

For those just joining us, please take a moment to browse the replies. It’s now been most of a day since I made this post.

You'll find several pages of profanity, personal insults, accusations, imaginary arguments, and emotional outbursts. What you'll find far less of is thoughtful engagement with the point that I put in bold text at the end of the article. That is, the draft dodger rendering a sloppy “salute”during the anthem - I didn’t even highlight that it was against flag code for him to do so.

It's fascinating, really. A simple observation about a public figure's use of military symbolism produced an avalanche of outrage, yet remarkably little analysis.

As an unintended social experiment, this thread has been a success. It demonstrates how quickly political tribalism can replace critical thinking, and how many people would rather defend a politician than examine a criticism of one.