President Trump's advance team covered Dubuque's "Solidarity" mural, a city-commissioned tribute to the town's diversity, with a tarp on Saturday, a day before his rally inside the arena it is painted on.

The city of Dubuque said it "was not asked if the exterior of the facility could be modified and did not authorize the tarp", and ordered it taken down.

Scott Hallgren, general manager of Five Flags Center for Oak View Group, the company that runs the city-owned venue, told KCRG the decision was made by the Office of Presidential Advance, the White House team that organises the president's visits. He said the White House wanted exterior branding and a US flag on the building.