“A curious point in the Republican Elephant’s evolution occurred in the (presidential election) year 2000, just prior to the first year of George W. Bush’s administration. With virtually no notice and little if any subsequent explanation, the 3 stars in the GOP Elephant logo were inverted so that they now stood points down. The law concerning “Respect For The Flag”, US Code Title 4 Section 8(a), reads “The flag should never be displayed with the union (the stars represent the union of the states) down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.”
https://weburbanist.com/2010/11/07/political-animal-the-ever-evolving-republican-elephant-logo/