Idaho student loses off-campus housing for displaying Trump flag. Is it legal?

Riley Shoemaker, KIVI

Courtesy KIVI

MOSCOW (KIVI) — A University of Idaho junior says a flag his mother sent him as a joke ended up costing him his housing.

Michael Leggett told Idaho News 6, the “Trump Train” flag — a bright blue banner featuring a cartoon train and the phrase “All Aboard the Trump Train” — hung inside his off-campus apartment, not visible from the outside. But when he and his roommate tried to renew their lease this spring, their landlords declined.

“To see where it went from there, and how that turned into what it did later on, is a little shocking to me,” Leggett said.

In an email, the landlords wrote:

“Unfortunately, we have decided not to renew your lease. While fixing your lock over the holiday break, we noticed the Trump flag on the wall. Respectfully, we are being more selective in choosing tenants that better align with our values, and those of most of our other tenants.”

Leggett said he and his roommate had no prior issues with their housing. “We love staying here … You know, we had no complaints … We never paid rent late,” Leggett said.

The apartment also featured other flags — including a Mexican flag belonging to his roommate and flags for their favorite beers.

“Right here, it’s on our main mantle area,” Leggett said. “So it’s not in view of anyone.”

Leggett said the rental application included unusual questions such as: “How old is the Earth?” “Is the Earth flat or round?” and “What are your beliefs about stopping airborne viruses?”

“It would just give you two options,” Leggett said. “It was very specifically directed toward a religion-type thing, in my opinion.”

Idaho News 6 reached out to the landlords, a husband-and-wife team, for comment. They declined.

Attorney Brian Festa, co-Founder of We the Patriots USA, said that while the situation may feel discriminatory, political views are not protected under Idaho housing law.

“Currently, federal and state law do not prohibit a landlord or business from discriminating on the basis of political viewpoint,” Festa said. “So unfortunately, there’s no lawsuit here.”

Festa continued, “He wasn’t doing anything aggressive. He wasn’t coming into the landlord’s private space or trying to convince them to vote for President Trump.”