The inverted United States flag is a mainstay in MAGA circles. When hoisted by a ship at sea it indicates that the vessel is in grave distress. The Tea Party flipped the flag to symbolize the distress inflicted upon the right by progressive taxation and a Black president. After the 2020 election, the Stop the Steal Movement made it a shorthand for their conspiracy theories of a stolen election.
In the days following the Jan. 6 insurrection, the New York Times recently reported, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito flew his American flag upside down. When asked why such a polarizing symbol was prominently displayed outside his home for several days, Alito gallantly blamed his wife for inverting Old Glory as a salvo in a political dispute with a neighbor who erected a “Fuck Trump” sign.
