Was the US flag upside down in the State Department? Viral post explored as image sparks concern

A photograph of the US flag flying upside down outside the State Department in Washington, D.C. has sparked off debate among Americans. The photograph has gone viral, and people are concerned whether it aims to send a message or was just a mistake. A Reddit user uploaded the picture on the subreddit, r/economicCollapse.

Redditor DesperateCranberry38 told Newsweek that the picture was taken at around 2 p.m., while keeping their identity a secret:

"All I can tell you is that it was not taken by a federal employee. The picture was taken at approximately 2 p.m."

They further confirmed that the flag stayed like this for about 20 minutes before it was changed.

The upside-down US flag is allegedly a concern for some people, because President Donald Trump had vowed to dismantle the "deep state" during his campaign in 2024, according to Newsweek. After winning the presidential election, he named tech tycoon Elon Musk head of the Department of Government Efficiency.

Since last month, the Trump administration has offered deferred resignations to three million employees of the federal government. Moreover, the remaining are at risk of being reassigned or laid off, per reports.

Amid this situation, the inverted flag image has stirred controversy.

Netizens react to the upside down US flag

A Redittor has claimed that the photograph of the inverter US flag is legitimate and has been taken outside the State Department. The portal also mentioned that the image's match was not found using TinEye and is likely to have been uploaded for the first time on the internet.

Reacting to the image, a Redditor wrote:

"Not good. State department knows what’s up with the FBI and CIA purges."

A netizen wrote:

"Flying the flag upside down is done in times of grave distress or as a form of protest… seems both apply here."

Another user reacted, saying:

"Good. It’s true. We are in grave distress. The people need to know."

An X user named @danzu72 also uploaded the picture and echoed similar sentiments:

"Flag flown upside down as sign of distress outside of State Department."

The user further claimed that he "got it from an associate," and wrote while replying to another user:

"Imagine having such a miserable existence that you want your fellow Americans out of work. Their distress is not going to make your piss-stained life any better."

The State Department has neither addressed the issue nor confirmed whether it was a mistake or a signal for distress, at the time of publishing.