A choice political gesture or holiday merriment gone awry? A man has been arrested after exposing himself in front of the White House.

A police officer saw more than he wanted on Sunday at around 1:30 from one of the five people posing together for pictures near the north fence of the White House.

The man, turning around to face the executive mansion, “proceeded to lower his pants and undergarment exposing his genital to plain view,” said the incident report by Washington police.

The suspect was arrested for indecent exposure, a misdemeanour. Police did not assign a motive.

The incident came after Trump postponed a holiday trip to Florida due to a political showdown that has partially shut down the US government. It was however unlikely that President Donald Trump or his family caught a glimpse of the flasher.