It was never about the flag, he only uses it as cover. In Palm Beach and in Palo Verdes, he deliberately flew ovesized flags, got sued for them, then wrapped himself in faux patriotic lawsuits to get variances changed.
https://www.npr.org/2017/10/12/557171757/insults-lawsuits-and-broken-rules-how-trump-built-a-california-golf-course
Same thing with the NFL, it’s just a way to give him patriotic cover.