Trump Golf Course Displays Gold Presidential Seal--Here's Why That Could Violate Federal Law

Source: Forbes

Trump Golf Course Displays Gold Presidential Seal—Here’s Why That Could Violate Federal Law

By Zach Everson, Forbes Staff. Zach Everson is a staff writer at Forbes covering money in politics.
Sep 26, 2025 at 11:03am EDT

TOPLINE
The presidential seal has turned up at a sixth Trump golf course—this time gilded in gold, hanging in the dining room of his DC-area club—once again raising questions about whether its display violates federal law barring its use in ways that suggest government endorsement.


President Donald Trump speaks behind the presidential seal at the Stop The Steal rally on Jan. 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
GETTY IMAGES

KEY FACTS

* An Instagram post from Aug. 24 shows a golden version of the presidential seal hanging in the dining area of President Donald Trump’s golf club in Potomac Falls, Virginia.

* The seal appears to have been added within the past six months, while Trump was back in office, as it does not appear in a photo of the same area posted in February 2025.

* Since 2021, golf markers featuring the presidential seal have been spotted at two Trump golf courses in Florida, one in New Jersey and two in New York (one of which was subsequently sold).

* Federal law prohibits the use of the presidential seal “in a manner reasonably calculated to convey a false impression of sponsorship or approval by the government,” with violations punishable by fines and up to six months imprisonment.

* Spokespeople for the White House and Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment.

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Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacheverson/2025/09/26/trump-golf-course-gold-presidential-seal-violates-federal-law/