President Donald Trump on Monday signed several executive orders to restore the rule of law across the nation, including action to protect America’s “most sacred and cherished symbol.”
Trump signed “Prosecuting Burning of the American Flag” to prevent the desecration of the Stars and Stripes.
‘The president is right to be concerned about the desecration of one of the proudest symbols of our nation.’
“Would you listen to this? This is very important,” Trump stated during Monday’s signing in the Oval Office.
“All over the country they’re burning flags.”
“Through a very sad court, I guess it was a five-to-four decision, they called it freedom of speech,” the president stated, referring to the Texas v. Johnson Supreme Court case in 1989.
“When you burn the American flag, it incites riots at levels that we’ve never seen before. People go crazy,” he continued.
“If you burn a flag, you get one year in jail. No early exit. No nothing.”
The White House contended that burning the flag is “a statement of contempt, hostility, and violence against our Nation” that “may incite violence and riot.”
“American Flag burning is also used by groups of foreign nationals as a calculated act to intimidate and threaten violence against Americans because of their nationality and place of birth,” the administration added.
According to the EO, those who desecrate the American flag could face charges related to burning restrictions, disorderly conduct, or destruction of property.
Anti-immigration-enforcement protesters have held several demonstrations this year where they have burned American flags.
Trump’s latest executive action has sparked bipartisan debate about whether flag-burning should be protected under the First Amendment.
“The president is right to be concerned about the desecration of one of the proudest symbols of our nation. This executive order will eventually allow the Justice Department to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit — and potentially overturn — a prior precedent saying that burning the American flag is constitutionally protected ‘speech’ under the First Amendment,” Zack Smith, a senior legal fellow and manager with the Heritage Foundation, told Blaze News.
Journalist Christopher Rufo highlighted how some individuals have been prosecuted for burning or damaging Pride flags.
“I’m sorry, but as long as this is the status quo, I’m not going to work myself into a state of hysteria about Trump’s executive order on burning the American flag,” Rufo wrote in a post on social media.
He noted that he is “sympathetic to the argument that burning the American flag is protected speech.”
Trump also signed on Monday two executive orders that aim to eliminate cashless bail systems across the United States.
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The post Trump cracks down on anti-American flag-burners with potential jail time appeared first on TheBlaze.
