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August 26, 2025

Trump Orders "Vigorous Prosecution" of People Who Burn U.S. Flag
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On Monday, Trump signed a separate executive order mandating that
federal agencies "vigorously prosecute" anyone who burns the United
States flag. The order also directs administration officials to revoke
the visas of immigrants accused of desecrating the U.S. flag. Trump's
order defies a 1989 Supreme Court ruling that determined the burning of
a U.S. flag is protected speech under the First Amendment. After Trump
signed the executive order, Secret Service agents arrested a person who
set a U.S. flag on fire on Lafayette Square, across from the White
House. The man identified himself as a combat veteran who served for 20
years. His protest was captured in a video posted to social media by the
news outlet The Bulwark.

U.S. Army veteran: "No president can make a law, period. No Congress
shall make a law infringing on First Amendment rights. I'm burning this
flag as a protest to that illegal, fascist president that sits in that
house."



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