Washington: White House press secretary Sean Spicer showed up to his Friday press briefing wearing an upside-down American flag pin on his lapel.
The White House press corps, with whom Spicer has locked horns, immediately brought it to his attention.
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Did Spicer break a federal rule?
A series of tweets by White House spokesman Sean Spicer commenting on strong February job creation figures may have run afoul of federal guidance barring most officials from commenting on key economic data within an hour of its release.
"Your pin's upside-down," Fox News's John Roberts said.
"John Roberts, always helping with the fashion tips," Spicer quipped.
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"It's still upside-down," another reporter said.
"'House of Cards'?" someone else asked.
"There's no promo," Spicer assured the reporters.
Sean Spicer's flag pin was just upside down.
Spicer fixed the pin, thanked the media and moved on.
But that did not seem to be enough for the internet, which did its thing, wondering whether it was a faux pas or a real cry for help.
"Is Spicer's upside down flag lapel pin a distress signal?" one person wrote on Twitter. (Actually, many people wrote some version of that.) "Blink twice if you need help, Sean."
Sean Spicer signaling distress at today's presser. pic.twitter.com/9PLKPYbuXd
— Jim Ludes (@JMLudes) March 10, 2017
Indeed, according to the U.S. Code, "the flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."
Washington Post