American flag has 51 stars for Pence visit to European Union

American flag has 51 stars for Pence visit to European Union | iNFOnews.ca
United States Vice President Mike Pence, left, shakes hands with European Council President Donald Tusk during a media conference at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. U.S. Vice President Pence is currently on a two-day visit to meet with EU and NATO officials. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool) A

BRUSSELS – The Star-Spangled Banner looked more starry than usual during one of U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence’s appearances in Brussels.

A background picture of the American flag that went up alongside the European Union flag as Pence and EU leader Donald Tusk spoke on Monday had 51 stars instead of the usual 50, one for each state.

The Brussels version of the flag had three rows of nine stars and three rows with eight stars each. American flags typically feature a total of nine alternating rows of five or six stars

The EU flag featuring 12 stars in a circle against a blue background was configured correctly. And the American flag had the right number of stripes — 13.

The EU Council did not immediately respond when asked about the error with the misplaced star-state.

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