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Are there verified photos or videos showing a U.S. flag on the White House grounds, and which agencies authenticated them?
Executive summary
Photographs and official White House images show U.S. flags on the White House rooftop and — since June 2025 — new flagpoles installed on the North and South Lawns flying large American flags [1] [2]. News outlets and photo agencies (Getty, iStock) host many archived and recent images of the White House flag; contemporaneous reporting documents at least one circulation of a photo showing a flag lying on the ground that prompted questions and media coverage [3] [4] [5].
1. Verified images exist in official and commercial archives
The White House posted an official photo gallery documenting the raising of a new American flag on the South Lawn in June 2025, establishing a primary-source image set from the White House itself [2]. Major stock-photo agencies like Getty Images and iStock host thousands of White House–flag images, including pictures dated to 2025 that show flags on rooftop and on newly-installed lawn flagpoles; these are publicly available and routinely licensed for publication [3] [4] [6].
2. Which agencies or organizations “authenticate” White House flag photos?
Available reporting does not identify a single independent “authentication” agency for all images. Official White House photos carry provenance because they are published by the White House [2]. Commercial photo agencies (Getty, iStock) provide licensing metadata, timestamps and photographer credits that function as provenance within media supply chains [3] [6]. The Architect of the Capitol and state agencies issue certificates for flags flown over the Capitol or state capitols, but those programs authenticate the act of flying a physical flag — not press photos — and do not apply to White House photographic verification [7] [8].
3. Recent controversy: image of a flag on the ground and how outlets handled it
In November 2025 a widely shared image showing an American flag appearing to lie on the ground behind President Trump prompted news coverage and public reaction; Newsweek and other outlets reported the circulation of that image and the ensuing questions [5]. Entertainment and pop-culture pages also amplified reaction to the picture [9] [10]. These stories describe the photo and public response but do not, in the sources provided, document a formal forensic authentication by an external agency [5] [9] [10].
4. What counts as “authentication” in practice?
In mainstream practice, authentication can mean (a) provenance from the original publisher (e.g., White House photo releases) which media accept as authoritative [2], (b) metadata and licensing records from photo agencies that verify who took and licensed an image [3] [6], or (c) independent forensic image analysis by news organizations or specialists — a step not documented in the supplied sources for the November 2025 photo [5]. The Architect of the Capitol issues certificates of authenticity for flags flown over the Capitol but that certificate is about the physical flag’s provenance, not photographic verification of images from the White House [7].
5. Context on flag placement at the White House since 2025
Wikipedia’s overview on White House flags states that the U.S. flag is flown on the White House rooftop at all times and notes that North and South Lawn flagpoles were installed in 2025, including an 88-foot pole on each lawn installed June 18, 2025, with reporting that the installations were contemporaneous with White House announcements and photos [1]. The White House’s own gallery documents the June 19, 2025 raising on the South Lawn [2].
6. Limits of available sources and what’s not found
The supplied sources do not show a documented, independent forensic authentication of the circulated November 2025 photo that allegedly shows the flag on the ground; they report the image’s existence and public reaction but not a formal agency verification [5] [10]. The sources also do not provide examples of a centralized federal photo-authentication office for White House imagery; instead, provenance comes from publishers (White House) and commercial agencies [2] [3].
7. How to evaluate such images going forward
Prefer images released by the White House as primary-source documentation [2]. For third-party photos, check licensing metadata from Getty or iStock to confirm date, photographer and distribution history [3] [6]. If a disputed photo surfaces, look for follow-up reporting that cites forensic analysts or official statements; the current materials show reportage of an image prompting questions but not a conclusive, external forensic judgment [5] [9].
Bottom line: Official White House photos and numerous stock-photo agency images verify that U.S. flags fly on the White House rooftop and on new lawn flagpoles installed in 2025 [1] [2] [3]. Media coverage documents a circulated image of a flag appearing to be on the ground and the public reaction, but the sources provided do not record a formal external forensic authentication of that specific photo [5] [10].