I recently spotted a Trump 2024 flag flying on a boat in Annapolis Harbor. Supporters of the former president assure me there are more along the Chesapeake Bay waterfront, but this was the first one I’ve seen this campaign season.
It should come as no surprise that in a blue city like Annapolis, in a blue state like Maryland, there are no flags supporting the former president’s third presidential campaign.
Maybe it should be so: As I hiked through Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula this summer, I looked for Donald Trump banners fluttering in the political wind and saw almost none.
So I have to ask: Is everything okay over there in Trump’s political multiverse?
A decline in the number of Trump flags has little to do with supply.
You can spend $36 on a 16′ x 34′ blue and white “Trump 2025” flag at Trumpstore.com. You can go bigger and shell out $88 for a 3′ x 5′ boat flag that features a white “45” on a red field. Very classy.
There are cheaper alternatives.
At Magastore.com, the savvy Trump shopper can currently find The Great Maga King flag on sale for just $7.99, down from $29.99. There is no description of the size or material, or whether it is suitable for indoor or outdoor display.
The sale does not imply that there are political doubts about the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that presidents are above criminal prosecution or about some Christians’ description of the president as God’s anointed one.
It’s just an ugly flag.
However, the largest selection of Trump flags can be found on Amazon. And also the largest selection of travel mugs, keep that in mind.
There you can pick up the 3′ x 5′ God, Guns & Trump flag for a bargain price. It comes complete with a red, white and blue bald eagle flanked by silhouettes of AK-47 assault rifles. It’s only $9.99 and ships tomorrow.
Oh, and it’s great for “anniversaries” if you have big plans in Washington in early January.
No matter which flag you buy, keep in mind that there are rules about flying that flag aboard boats in the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland’s flag, the familiar rectangle of red, yellow, white and black, flies on the starboard salute of most small sailboats.
And flags send certain messages when you’re out and about. Flying a flag with a certain type of fish upside down means catch and release. The Eastport Yacht Club’s pennants show a stylized drawbridge in the raised position. A distress flag is orange with a black square and a ball on it.
The message of the flags flying across the country at the Trumptillas four years ago was also clear. We had just emerged from COVID lockdowns, and boats were a popular exception to the rules while they lasted. Both boat sales and time spent on boats had increased this summer.
Anne Arundel County Republicans organized a parade of several dozen boats that moved to Annapolis in the summer, and more than 100 participated in a parade in Crisfield. Organizers there hope to repeat their success with the “2024 Trump Take America Back” boat parade in September.
Trump lost Anne Arundel County by about 55% to 41%, but won Somerset County by almost exactly the opposite margin. There were only 300,000 more voters in Anne Arundel.
Perhaps the prospect of purchasing a third version of the Trump flag is why they are less visible this year.
If you bought a “Trump, Make America Great Again 2016” flag and then four years later reached for “Trump 2020” again, that might give you reason to think about “Trump, Vance 2024: Make America Great Again.”
I mean, whether he wins, loses, or stages a coup, this is the old man’s last round, isn’t it? He told Christian voters they would never have to vote again. Ever.
Or maybe sales have declined because there are fewer opportunities to fly the flag.
The number of boat parades for the former president seems to have decreased this year. The number of parades taking place is smaller.
Four years ago, more than 1,000 boats gathered in Newport Beach, California. The second round in June drew only about 100. The June boat parade near Solomons Island in southern Maryland drew only 13, despite a small-boat warning that morning.
Of course, you can consider your flag purchases as an investment. Once you have a suitable set, you need to take a buy-and-hold approach.
If you bought a 3×5-inch Trump polyester flag from 2016, you can sell it on eBay for up to $25—maybe a small profit, but not enough to retire.
Not every flag will hold its value. When was the last time someone flew a “Let’s Go Brandon” flag? You can blame Dark Brandon for that.
Political memorabilia tends to become more valuable the rarer it becomes, so perhaps the relative disappearance of Trump flags this summer is a good sign for his supporters..
Trump often compares himself to the 16th president, and Lincoln Hamlin campaign flags from 1860 can fetch up to $45,000 at auction.
Lincoln loved rude jokes and was known to curse when he got angry. Maybe he wouldn’t have cared if his supporters had carried “No More Bullshit” flags like the ones with Trump’s name on them at the Trumptillas. But maybe he wouldn’t.
I know there were flags for President Joe Biden, and there are new ones for Vice President Kamala Harris, the new Democratic nominee. There are flags that are just as disrespectful to Trump as those that support him. I’ve just never seen one of them in person.
No matter. The message must remain fresh if a flag is to fly with those who wave it.
New this month on Amazon is a Trump flag featuring a dog doing his business in Harris’ name.
I’m sure Lincoln would have been pleased to know that it was made with “eco-friendly ink” and “digital printing” technology.
