Walking down Independence Avenue lately feels a little different. If you haven’t been to the capital in the last few months, you might be surprised to see a 31-foot-tall image of Donald Trump staring back at you from the side of a federal building. It’s not just one spot, either. The rise of Trump banners in DC has become a flashpoint for massive debate, ranging from "is this even legal?" to "how much did that cost us?"
Honestly, it’s a weird time for the D.C. skyline. We’re used to seeing marble statues and the occasional temporary exhibit, but giant vinyl portraits of a sitting president on executive department headquarters? That's new. It’s definitely not the standard "business as usual" for the District.
The Giant USDA Portrait and the $16,400 Price Tag
In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) decided to do something pretty bold. They commissioned two massive banners to hang outside their headquarters. One featured Abraham Lincoln, the guy who actually founded the department back in 1862. The other? A glowering, high-resolution portrait of Donald Trump.
Government documents eventually leaked—well, they were requested via FOIA by reporters like Andrew Beaujon—showing that the USDA spent exactly $16,400 on this project. A firm out of Temple Hills did the printing and installation. Brooke Rollins, the Agriculture Secretary, even posted a video on X to celebrate it. She framed it as a "rebirth" of the department, moving away from what she called the "bloated bureaucracy" of the previous administration.
The thing stayed up until late July. People were baffled. Some tourists loved it, taking selfies like it was a new monument. Others, like Max Stier from the Partnership for Public Service, voiced concerns that this was more about a "cult of personality" than actually helping farmers. It’s a valid question: Does a 30-foot face help a rancher in Iowa? Probably not. But it sure sends a message to everyone walking past the National Mall.
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It’s Not Just Agriculture: The Labor and HHS Banners
If you thought it was a one-off, you’d be wrong. By August 2025, the Department of Labor (DOL) joined in. They hung a three-story banner of Trump’s shadowed face right next to one of Theodore Roosevelt. It featured the words "American Workers First." Interestingly, the word "First" was printed in a way-bigger font than everything else. If you follow politics, you know that’s a clear nod to the campaign slogan. According to reports, that specific display cost about $6,000.
Then there’s the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, which houses the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. apparently had plans for even bigger ones. Contract solicitations from July 2025 showed they were looking for banners measuring 11.5 feet by 88 feet. These were titled "Make America Healthy Again Building Banners."
The sheer scale of these things is hard to wrap your head around until you’re standing under them. We are talking about vinyl sheets that cover entire sections of historic architecture.
Is This Even Legal? The Propaganda Question
Here is where it gets kinda messy. Since 1951, there have been strict laws—specifically Section 718 of various appropriations acts—that prohibit the use of federal money for "publicity or propaganda."
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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) usually defines this as "self-aggrandizement" or "purely partisan" material. Critics, including Senator Adam Schiff, have been very vocal about this. In September 2025, his office released a report arguing that these Trump banners in DC are a direct violation of federal law.
The administration’s defense? They claim these are "informational materials" that acknowledge the "vision and leadership" of the executive branch. It’s a classic Washington loophole. If you call it "history" or "leadership recognition," you can sometimes bypass the propaganda ban. But when the contract specifications explicitly ask for the banners to last "preferably 4 years" (right up until the next inauguration), it looks a lot more like a long-term campaign ad than a temporary tribute.
Street Banners vs. Building Banners: The Rules
You’ve probably also seen the smaller banners—the ones on lampposts or carried by protesters. Those fall under completely different rules.
- Public Space Permits: If you want to hang a banner on a DC streetlight, you need a permit from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). It costs about $50 per pole.
- Size Limits: These can't be huge. Usually, they have to be under 30 inches wide and 60 inches tall.
- Duration: Most permits only last 60 to 180 days.
- Protest Signs: If you’re carrying a banner during a march, like the "ICE out of DC" group did in August 2025, you don't necessarily need a permit unless you have more than 50 people or you're blocking traffic.
The "big" Trump banners we’re seeing on federal buildings bypass the city rules because they are on federal property. The National Park Service and the General Services Administration (GSA) handle those, not the DC local government. It creates this weird visual disconnect where the city has strict rules about signage, but the federal buildings can essentially do whatever the current administration wants.
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What Most People Get Wrong
People often assume these banners are paid for by the campaign (the RNC). In the case of the building-mounted portraits at the USDA or DOL, that’s not true. Your tax dollars paid for them.
Another misconception is that they are permanent. They aren't. They’re made of vinyl and are designed to be swapped out. For example, the USDA banner was replaced by a promotion for a farmers market where RFK Jr. famously made a smoothie using a bicycle-powered blender.
The 2026 landscape in DC is a mix of these official displays and the unofficial ones. You'll still see "Trump 2024" or "Trump 2028" banners (depending on who you ask) being sold by street vendors near the Ellipse. Those vendors are often in a cat-and-mouse game with the National Park Service over vending locations.
Practical Steps If You're Visiting DC
If you’re heading to the District to see these displays—or protest them—here’s the deal:
- Check the National Mall: The area around the USDA building (14th and Independence) is the "ground zero" for these giant displays.
- Watch the Permits: If you’re planning a group demonstration with your own banners, hit up the ACLU of DC’s website first. They have the best breakdown of where the federal land ends and city land begins.
- Respect the Historic Architecture: Even if you love the message, the city is very touchy about people taping or gluing anything to the actual stone of the monuments. Stick to handheld poles.
- FOIA is Your Friend: If you see a new banner and want to know what it cost, you can file a Freedom of Information Act request with the specific department. It’s how we found out about the $16,400 USDA bill.
The visual culture of Washington DC is changing fast. Whether you see these banners as a "bold tribute" or "unprecedented propaganda," they are now a fixed part of the city's 2026 aesthetic. Keep an eye on the Department of Health and Human Services next—if those 88-foot banners actually go up, they will be the largest political displays the city has seen in decades.
To stay updated on the legal battles surrounding these displays, you can monitor the GAO's "Appropriations Law" decisions page, where they frequently rule on whether such spending constitutes illegal propaganda.