A huge blue banner with President Donald Trump’s face and the slogan “Make America Safe Again” has been hung over the entrance of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Photos of it went viral, which show contractors hoisting the banner onto the DOJ headquarters along Pennsylvania Avenue.
Tourists were seen clicking pictures of the same. Soon, critics like Governor Gavin Newsom called it “beyond parody.” Others invoked comparisons to 1930s Germany.
The banner’s design is similar to one previously hung at the Department of Labor with an “American Workers First” message. The DOJ, however, is supposed to be politically independent as the nation’s top law enforcement agency.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin told Newsweek that the banner represents how the DOJ is weaponized under Trump. California Rep. Dave Min posted on X, “the DOJ is the most powerful and important law enforcement agency (…) not a Trump hotel.” Former strategist David Axelrod, who served under former President Barack Obama, said the banner looked like one of Trump’s booking photos.
Could also be Germany 1930s, Soviet Union 1950s. Could be many places, but shouldn’t be America. https://t.co/cLD6rzRlrh
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 19, 2026
A political action committee named Unite the Country warned that leaders who plaster their portraits on government buildings “have rarely been the good guys.” Then came Dr. S. Steven Whitaker, who wrote on X that the banner was “reminiscent of 1930s Germany.” Another user said it looked like “2026 America rolling out our own brand of Authoritarian Dictator.”
Trump often argues that the DOJ under former President Joe Biden was “weaponized” against him. During his first term and beyond, he accused prosecutors and investigators of a “witch hunt.” So he promised that he would restore fairness upon returning to office.
The DOJ states on its website that it is independent and free from political influence. That tradition only got stronger after Watergate, when reforms were made to separate the White House from prosecutorial decisions.
But according to the Harvard Gazette, the anxiety of former federal officials is “off the charts.” Journalist Emily Bazelon believes that Trump is dismantling post-Watergate norms. In her survey of 50 former federal legal officials (both Republican and Democratic), they all believed the 79-year-old president is using the DOJ as a tool, however he pleases.
In September 2025, the DOJ indicted former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who once investigated Trump. The American Bar Association said it is concerned about the “use of federal prosecutorial power for (…) partisan ends.”
Former FBI Director James Comey and New York State Attorney General Letitia James were indicted by the Justice Department, but both indictments were dismissed by a federal judge on the 24th. The image shows the Goddess of Justice, a symbol of judicial fairness, outside a U.S. pic.twitter.com/txXoUzvJV6
— Smith Elena (@katieamelia24) November 24, 2025
Against that backdrop, a presidential portrait at DOJ headquarters feels like a warning.
Historically, authoritarian leaders like Josef Stalin or Mao Zedong have used government buildings to assert dominance. That is why critics are making these comparisons as these institutions rely on public trust. Even some posts from Republicans suggested that the banner isn’t pretending about the DOJ’s independence. One user wrote, “The DOJ is working for Trump.”
