Does video show Trump neglecting to salute US Marines after departing Marine One?

Claim:

A video authentically shows U.S. President Donald Trump neglecting to salute two Marines upon disembarking Marine One on Oct. 20.

Rating:

Context

No law or regulation mandates that U.S. presidents salute armed forces personnel, though the act is considered standard practice in the modern era. Ronald Reagan is usually credited with initiating the etiquette, which Trump more often than not continues to follow.

This week, people shared a video they claimed showed U.S. President Donald Trump neglecting to salute two Marines upon disembarking Marine One (the call sign officials use when a president flies on a special fleet of helicopters).

For example, on Oct. 20, a Bluesky user posted (archived) the video, writing that Trump forgot to salute when exiting the helicopter.

Trump forgets to salute while exiting Marine One then lumbers across the tarmac to his Qatari bribe jet. Natalie Harp is the first one up the stairs to join him on the plane.

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) October 20, 2026 at 2:47 PM

Other users shared the same video and claim on Facebook (archived), X (archived) and YouTube (archived).

This video truly showed Trump neglecting to salute two Marines standing next to Marine One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, as part of his travel plans to speak at a North Carolina rally. The clip showed no signs of AI generation or alteration of its contents.

Snopes emailed the White House to ask whether Trump simply forgot to salute, as some people alleged. We will update this article if we receive further details.

Looking at the full video

A longer video, as well as photos of the same deboarding, showed no evidence that Trump saluted the Marines.

Following deboarding, Trump appeared to have a cordial discussion with another armed forces member while walking to Air Force One and saluted that person. He then saluted Air Force airmen and others potentially not visible in the frame before boarding Air Force One.

Other photos showed Trump saluting a Marine earlier on the same day when departing the White House, as well as saluting a different Marine upon arriving back at the White House later that evening.

Famous saluting incidents involving Obama, Trump

This matter resembled claims about former presidents failing to recognize members of the military or to perform other patriotic acts. For example, former President Barack Obama once saluted a Marine after boarding Marine One, then deboarded to briefly speak with him and shake his hand, then boarded again without saluting.

At other times, Obama saluted Marines next to Marine One while holding a cellphone on one occasion and a coffee cup on another. We also reported about moments when Obama allegedly failed to salute the nation’s flag and place his hand over his heart during the national anthem.

In a famous video from Trump’s first term, he attempted to retrieve and return a Marine’s hat, officially known as a cover, after the wind appeared to knock it off of his head. He then walked up the steps to Marine One without saluting.

No regulation mandates that U.S. presidents salute armed forces personnel, though the act is considered standard practice in the modern era.

For further reading, we previously investigated a claim alleging Trump called fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers.”

Sources