Trump touts three-story banners of himself and George Washington at Interior Department

Trump the display marks the fourth federal building to feature a giant banner of the sitting president, drawing comparisons to past authoritarian regimes.

First Published: July 5, 2026, 3:55 PM EST

WHITE HOUSE — Donald Trump highlighted three-story banners bearing his image and that of George Washington on the Department of the Interior building on a Truth Social post on July 5, 2026 at 10:38 AM EST.

Here is the full post on [truthsocial]: “Three-story tall banners of POTUS and George Washington have been hung on the front of the Department of the Interior building. The wording above Washington is “America’s First” in reference to him being America’s first president. The wording above President Trump is “America First”—which needs no explanation!”

The banners, each at least 30 feet tall, were installed above the main entrance to the Interior Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., making it the fourth federal building to receive a giant portrait of the sitting president (see forbes.com). Photographer Andrew Leyden captured the two banners, which feature the presidents beneath the words “America First” — one reading “America’s First” above George Washington and “America First” above Trump.

The Interior Department installation follows similar banners placed at the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor and the Department of Agriculture over the past year (see forbes.com). The Justice Department banner features the slogan “Make America Safe Again,” while the Labor Department banner pairs Trump with Theodore Roosevelt under the words “American Workers First.” The original banner at the Agriculture Department, hung alongside one of Abraham Lincoln, has since been removed.

The Department of Agriculture reportedly spent $16,400 on its set of banners honoring Trump and Abraham Lincoln (see forbes.com). Critics have called the installations a waste of taxpayer money. Social media commenters compared the George Washington banner to imagery used at the German American Bund’s pro-Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Feb. 20, 1939, where a 30-foot-tall illuminated image of Washington greeted more than 20,000 attendees.

The banner campaign is part of a broader administration effort to place Trump-branded imagery and naming on federal institutions. The Kennedy Center board voted to add Trump’s name to the institution’s official title and signage after he reshaped the board with new appointees, but a federal judge ruled the move illegal because Congress created the center as a memorial to John F. Kennedy (see forbes.com). Trump-linked branding has also appeared on federal programs including “TrumpRx,” a prescription initiative, “Trump Accounts” savings accounts for children, and the “Trump Gold Card” visa program.

While it is not unusual for presidents to be honored on government property, large exterior banners featuring a sitting president’s image on federal buildings are unprecedented in modern American history (see forbes.com).

In the last 30 days, 135 of 508 Trump posts on Truth Social were on the topic “Uncategorized,” which includes symbolic displays and branding announcements that do not fall under a specific policy category.