With the world seeming to be on fire and Democrats wailing about the end of democracy, it seems President Donald Trump knows how to keep his sense of humor.
The president couldn’t help himself as a flagpole installation at the White House lent itself to some off-color humor this week. Even amid the stressful week, Trump managed to take some time and lighten the mood, as did Elon Musk after a SpaceX rocket exploded on the launch pad in Texas.
“It is my Great Honor to announce that I will be putting up two beautiful Flag Poles on both sides of the White House, North and South Lawns,” Trump announced in a Truth Social post earlier this week.
“It is a GIFT from me of something which was always missing from this magnificent place,” he added. “These are the most magnificent poles made – They are tall, tapered, rust proof, rope inside the pole, and of the highest quality. Hopefully, they will proudly stand at both sides of the White House for many years to come!”
Trump followed up in person on Wednesday as he appeared flanked by hard-hat-wearing men to tour the installation of the flagpoles. Speaking with reporters, the president took the time to praise the work, celebrate the update to the White House, and, in an unrelated topic, take a jab at Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
But it was Trump’s unexpected joke about the flagpoles that made for a lighthearted moment, especially in a week filled with heavy responsibilities and tensions.
“So, I just want to wish you a lot of luck with the new flagpole. We have two of them, and we’re going to do this one now, then we’re gonna do the other one at 11 o’clock or so,” he said. “We’re gonna have a flag raising, which will be great. And I got to get these guys back to work. They’re making a fortune. They’re standing around making a fortune.”
“But remember, there’s somewhere in this group, there’s somebody that is going to captivate some movie producer. Not Harvey Weinstein. So, it won’t be Harvey, but it will be somebody, and they’ll say, “That guy is perfect for a movie,”.Trump continued.
“And you’re going to become a star, and your friends are going to call you, and you won’t even return their phone call anymore, you know? They’ll say ‘What do you do for a living? I put up flagpoles, I’m not even going to talk to you. I’m a big movie star,'” he said.
Our great American Flag is now flying high on the South Lawn of the White House. GOD BLESS AMERICA! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/AJ5PAB5ygl
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 18, 2025
“Anyway, let’s have a good, they call it a lifting,” Trump said, avoiding using the word he said would get him “run out of town.”
“They also use another word, but I’m not going to use that word. Do you know what that is?” he asked. “The word, it starts with an ‘E.’ You know what the word is? If I ever used it, I’d be run out of town by you people,” he joked as those around caught on and laughed.
Similarly, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk seemed to take a stressful incident in stride after the Starship rocket exploded Wednesday night.
Context: SpaceX’s Starship for Flight 10 just exploded on the test stand.pic.twitter.com/Zf2Cu0oYq7
— Space Sudoer (@spacesudoer) June 19, 2025
“Just a scratch,” Musk wrote on X.
