Donald Trump sparks fierce debate after he salutes troops during national anthem at Army-Navy game

LANDOVER, MARYLAND: Donald Trump's every move seems to stir up controversy. This time, it wasn’t a tweet or a Truth Social drop—it was a salute.

At Saturday’s 125th Army-Navy football game at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, the president-elect raised eyebrows (and probably a few blood pressures) when he saluted the troops during the national anthem.

Flanked by Vice President-elect JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, Trump’s move lit up social media faster than a halftime show.

While folks around him stuck to the classic hand-over-heart stance, Trump went for a full military salute.

Donald Trump's salute stirs up debate

As the national anthem kicked off, Donald Trump stood in the VIP box and threw up a salute. Here’s the thing: military protocol says saluting is for those in uniform or active-duty personnel.

Civilians are apparently expected to stick to the hand-over-heart gesture. Critics were quick to point out that Trump isn’t technically in charge yet—his presidency doesn’t start until January 20, 2025.

And just like that, Trump’s salute became an intensely debated topic on social media.

“He’s not supposed to salute, he’s not in uniform. They teach seven-year-olds this in Scouts,” someone snarked on X (formerly Twitter).

"It is improper for Trump to salute! He should have his hand over his heart! He is without a doubt the stupidest man ever elected to office! He is a disgrace!” raged another.

One user didn’t hold back: “For one, Trump never served. For two, Trump weaseled out of serving. For three, you don’t salute unless in uniform.”

"Civilians don't salute. Even the redneck next to Trump knows this. Plus Biden didn't want the game to be all about him. That's why he stayed away. It's called humility," someone else wrote.

"As a person who has never served in the military he should not salute the flag," another offered.

MAGA fires back

However, Donald Trump's loyal fanbase didn't consider his salute a faux pas, but rather a proud and patriotic moment and came to his defense, per The Spun.

“The commander-in-chief salutes. Even if you wanna argue he’s not the president yet, he’s still a former president,” one supporter posted.

"The commander and chief salutes as he is officially the highest ranking member of the military and yes, he’s already the President," another remarked.

"Crowd chants USA USA USA at President-elect Trump and VP-elect JD Vance at the Army/Navy game before Trump salutes the soldiers during the National Anthem. I missed this feeling of our country being strong again," a comment read.

"As Donald Trump salutes before the Army/Navy game, You can feel the pride and hope in the air knowing that he is their Commander in Chief," yet another offered.

"No one ever knows more about salute etiquette, flag code, the Logan Act, the Hatch Act, and campaign finance laws than online libtards trying to say dumb and wrong s**t about Trump," someone else chimed in.

Here’s the deal: tradition says civilians place their hand over their heart during the anthem, leaving salutes to those in uniform. While it’s not illegal for civilians to salute, it’s definitely not the norm.

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