Donald Trump will assume the role of President and Commander-in-Chief of the United States Military next month. For now, however, he is a civilian, which led to some backlash when he chose to salute during the playing of the national anthem this weekend.
At Saturday’s college football rivalry game between Army and Navy, Donald Trump attended the event and generated some controversy during the national anthem.
While most attendees placed their hands over their hearts, Trump opted to salute instead.
Donald Trump salutes during the national anthem. Joe Biden didn’t go for the past four years. Great to have the president back at Army-Navy. pic.twitter.com/eJ0RnPSGHe
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) December 14, 2024
Saluting is typically reserved for those in uniform or active-duty military personnel. Civilians who have not served are generally expected to place their hand over their heart during the anthem, rather than salute. While there’s no law barring civilians from saluting, it is generally considered inappropriate and disrespectful.
Given that Trump has not served in the military and is not yet Commander-in-Chief, he technically should not have saluted during the anthem. Many people on social media expressed their disapproval, arguing that it disrespected actual veterans.
“The date is 12/14/2024, Trump is President-elect… He is a civilian; his hand should be over his heart, not a salute. WE HAVE a current Commander-in-Chief who properly places his hand over his heart, unlike this fraud!” one person posted on X.
“He’s not supposed to salute, he’s not in uniform. They teach seven-year-olds about this in Scouts,” another person commented.
“Reason #2746 why Trump is a [freaking] disrespectful moron,” someone else wrote.
“It’s actually pretty amazing how many people who pretend to be ‘patriots’ don’t actually know these types of things. Like when they bring out the color guard for the anthem during sporting events and you’re supposed to remain standing until the flag is off the ice/field,” one user pointed out.
“He isn’t POTUS now or former military. It’s in the grandstanding category,” another individual noted.
“Only veterans are authorized to salute while in civilian clothes during the playing of the National Anthem,” someone else remarked.
While these are just the opinions of everyday people, it’s clear that not everyone was pleased with Trump’s actions.
[Clay Travis]
