The Presidential Seal shows a bald eagle with wings spread, gripping an olive branch in one talon and a bundle of thirteen arrows in the other, with a striped shield across its chest and a scroll in its beak reading “E Pluribus Unum.” A burst of light and thirteen stars sit above the eagle, and a ring of fifty white stars circles the whole design. The meaning of the presidential seal is built out of those pieces: the olive branch and arrows stand for the choice between peace and war, the number thirteen recalls the original colonies, and the fifty stars represent the current states of the union.1The American Presidency Project. Executive Order 10860 – Coat of Arms, Seal, and Flag of the President of the United States
What Each Element Stands For
The shield across the eagle’s chest has thirteen red and white vertical stripes topped by a blue band. The stripes stand for the original colonies, and the blue chief represents Congress. The olive branch in the eagle’s right talon and the thirteen arrows in its left present the twin instruments of foreign policy, peace and war. The branch itself carries thirteen olives and thirteen leaves, and the scroll in the eagle’s beak carries the national motto, “E Pluribus Unum.”1The American Presidency Project. Executive Order 10860 – Coat of Arms, Seal, and Flag of the President of the United States
Above the eagle, a golden burst of light contains an arc of thirteen clouds and a constellation of thirteen stars. The ring around the entire design holds fifty white stars on a dark blue field, one for each state. That ring has changed with the country: when Alaska and Hawaii joined the union, Executive Order 10860 in 1960 updated the count to fifty and set the modern design.1The American Presidency Project. Executive Order 10860 – Coat of Arms, Seal, and Flag of the President of the United States
Why the Eagle Faces the Olive Branch
The eagle looks to its own right, toward the olive branch and away from the arrows. That was not always so. Until 1945, the eagle faced the arrows. President Harry Truman approved a redesign that turned the eagle’s gaze toward the olive branch as World War II ended, and the orientation has stayed that way since. The message the design carries today is a preference for peace, with the means of war still in hand but held to the side.
Presidential Seal vs. the Great Seal
The Presidential Seal is easy to confuse with the Great Seal of the United States because they share most of their imagery: the eagle, the shield, the olive branch, the arrows, and the “E Pluribus Unum” scroll all appear on both. They do different jobs, though. The Great Seal is the national coat of arms and is physically stamped onto treaties, presidential proclamations, and commissions for senior officials.2Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government. Great Seal of the United States You will also see it above the entrances to U.S. embassies and on military uniform buttons.
The Presidential Seal identifies the president personally and appears on the lectern, on official stationery, and at events where the president speaks. The clearest way to tell them apart: the Presidential Seal has the ring of fifty stars encircling the eagle, and the Great Seal does not.
How the Vice Presidential Seal Differs
The Vice Presidential Seal uses the same basic composition but tones it down. Executive Order 11884, signed in 1975, sets its design: the same eagle, shield, olive branch, and thirteen arrows, but the arrows, scroll, clouds, and stars above the eagle’s head are rendered in gray rather than in their natural colors.3National Archives. Executive Order 11884 – Prescribing the Official Coat of Arms, Seal, and Flag of the Vice President of the United States The ring of fifty stars is dropped. In its place, the words “Vice President of the United States” encircle the coat of arms. The visual restraint tracks the office: clearly related to the president’s seal, plainly not the same.
Rules on Using the Seal
The seal is not free for anyone to put on a product or a website. Under 18 U.S.C. § 713, displaying the Great Seal or the seals of the President or Vice President in an advertisement, publication, broadcast, or building in a way meant to create a false impression of government sponsorship is a federal crime. A separate provision of the same statute makes it illegal to manufacture, reproduce, sell, or buy for resale any likeness of the presidential or vice presidential seals except as authorized.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 713 – Use of Likenesses of the Great Seal of the United States, the Seals of the President and Vice President, the Seal of the United States Senate, the Seal of the United States House of Representatives, and the Seal of the United States Congress
The authorized uses are narrow. Executive Order 11649 permits reproduction for encyclopedias and reference books (though not on the cover), museum and library exhibits, monuments to former presidents, and bona fide news coverage. Anything else needs written permission from the Counsel to the President.5The American Presidency Project. Executive Order 11649 – Regulations Governing the Seals of the President and the Vice President of the United States
A violation is a Class B misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of six months in jail.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 713 – Use of Likenesses of the Great Seal of the United States, the Seals of the President and Vice President, the Seal of the United States Senate, the Seal of the United States House of Representatives, and the Seal of the United States Congress The fine can reach $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, and a court may impose both the fine and jail time for a single offense.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 3571 – Sentence of Fine The Attorney General can also seek an injunction to stop an ongoing violation.