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| - A rumor circulating online in January 2025 claimed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump failed to place his right hand over his heart as service members carried former President Jimmy Carter's flag-draped casket at his funeral ceremony. The Department of Defense organized the 39th U.S. president's state funeral at Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 9, 2025.
Users sharing the rumor pointed to photos showing Trump with his hand at his side at a moment when other past and present leaders had placed their right hands over their hearts. The people seated near Trump at the state funeral included President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, as well as past U.S. presidents, vice presidents and some of their spouses. (Former first lady Michelle Obama did not attend.)
Snopes received reader emails asking about this rumor. For example, one reader attached a picture from an Instagram post (archived) and asked, "Is this a real photo? Did Trump have his hand over his heart during Carter's funeral?" Another person asked us if Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump both failed to place their right hands over their hearts. A different reader pointed us to a post (archived) from the progressive Facebook page Occupy Democrats. The post made the same claim and said of Donald Trump, "He has no respect for anyone." We also received an inquiry about this rumor in a Snopes Tips Facebook group post.
However, this rumor was false. Trump did, in fact, place his right hand over his heart while service members carried Carter's flag-draped casket up the aisle at the state funeral.
Regarding the entrance of Carter's casket, while some pictures hosted by Getty Images showed Donald Trump with his hand at his side, others displayed by both The Associated Press and Getty Images depicted him placing his hand over his heart.
According to further photos from Getty Images, Melania Trump's black outfit contributed to the misleading idea that she did not place her right hand over her heart. The pictures illustrated the darkness of her attire. Her black sleeve blended in with the rest of her outfit. Emhoff's head possibly obscured her hand in some pictures, giving the wrong impression that she did not place her hand over her heart.
At the 26:44 mark in a broadcast provided by C-SPAN.org, the left-hand side of the video depicted Melania Trump placing her hand over her heart. The aforementioned still photos document that Donald Trump then placed his hand over his heart immediately after her.
As for the exit of Carter's casket, we did not locate enough photographic or video evidence to determine whether Donald Trump placed his right hand over his heart. Video angles broadcast by C-SPAN and others did not display the Trumps during the moment. Still, at least one picture showed Melania Trump with her hand placed over her heart as the service members carried the casket out of the cathedral.
What US Code Says About Hand Over Heart
United States Code describes observable conduct when the flag is displayed and during the playing of the country's national anthem. When the flag is displayed, persons not related to the military "should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart." The code also says "when the flag is not displayed, all present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed."
A speaker recited Bible verses as service members carried Carter's casket into the church for the state funeral. The Armed Forces Chorus sang "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" as service members carried his casket back out.
For further reading, we previously reported about a different time online users falsely claimed Trump failed to place his hand over his heart, during a December 2015 Republican presidential debate.
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