'This is garbage': Conservatives slam Trump as he orders crackdown on US flag burning

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump sparked rare backlash from conservatives on Monday, August 25, after signing an executive order on flag burning.

The order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute flag desecration under existing laws and to seek legal action that redefines the limits of First Amendment protections in such cases.

It also urges the Justice Department to refer violations of state and local flag desecration laws to local authorities for prosecution.

Trump's order brands flag desecration as 'uniquely offensive and provocative'

Donald Trump's executive order directs the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute individuals who desecrate the American flag, including acts like burning, despite the Supreme Court’s 1989 ruling that such acts constitute protected political expression.

The commander-in-chief pledged firm penalties, declaring, “You burn a flag, you get one year in jail. You don’t get 10 years, you don’t get one month. You get one year in jail, and it goes on your record, and you will see flag burning stopping immediately."

Trump warned that burning the US flag “incites riots at levels we’ve never seen before,” claiming some individuals react by “going crazy” at its desecration, though he offered no specific examples.

A White House fact sheet cited recent protests in Los Angeles, where flags were burned amid violent, safety-threatening behavior.

During the signing ceremony for the executive order, Trump declared, “All over the country they're burning flags. All over the world, they burn the American flag,” while officials such as Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General Pam Bondi looked on.

According to the signed order, it brands flag desecration as “uniquely offensive and provocative,” defining it as a symbolic act of contempt and hostility against the nation's unity, rights, and liberties.

The executive order mandates that the Attorney General enforce criminal and civil laws against flag burning, especially when the conduct crosses beyond constitutionally protected free speech.

Attorney General Bondi echoed the announcement, assuring Trump, “Thank you for protecting the American flag, and we'll do that without running afoul of the First Amendment as well.”

The order also targets non-citizens who desecrate the flag, permitting revocation of visas, residence permits, naturalization, and even deportation.

Conservative voices slam Trump’s executive order as attack on free speech

Donald Trump ignited rare conservative backlash on social media after signing an executive order targeting flag burning. While he framed the move as a patriotic crackdown, many right-leaning critics defended flag burning as a constitutionally protected act of expression.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), evolutionary biologist Colin Wright slammed the order as “absurd” and “anti-free speech,” arguing, "Banning flag burning is absurd. It’s anti-free speech and peak snowflake behavior. I would never burn the American flag because of what it symbolizes to me. But the act of banning the burning of it runs more contrary to American values than the burning itself ever could."

Others like radio hosts Jesse Kelly and Dana Loesch, and conservative commentator Erick Erickson emphasized that, despite finding flag burning distasteful, the government has no business controlling such expression. Across platforms, many conservatives warned that Trump’s executive action crosses a dangerous line.

Kelly said, "I would never in a million years harm the American flag. But a president telling me I can’t has me as close as I’ll ever be to lighting one on fire. I am a free American citizen. And if I ever feel like torching one, I will. This is garbage."

Loesch shared, "Flag burning is vile but the government has no right to control speech or expression."

Erickson wrote, "This is actually not brilliant. While I agree with the sentiment, it is unfortunately well settled constitutional law that burning the flag is a matter of free speech and the executive does not get to create crimes."

RedState writer Bonchie added on X, "I know nothing matters and you aren’t allowed to criticize your own side, but I’d like to return to a time when presidents didn’t sign unconstitutional executive orders for show."

Washington Examiner contributor Kimberly Ross expressed, "I don’t think the federal government should take equity stakes in companies. And First Amendment protections apply to the burning of the American flag, as much as I abhor that action. Follow me for consistent takes (a rarity on here) in direct opposition to tribalism."

Trump also received support for his executive order on flag burning

While many conservatives condemned Donald Trump’s executive order on flag burning, some stepped forward to defend it. They argued that the measure doesn’t impose a blanket ban, but instead focuses on specific, high-risk scenarios.

Podcast host Kira Davis clarified that the order targets acts of flag burning that take place in threatening or violent settings. “POTUS explained this is not a blanket ban,” she said. This is a commitment to investigate flag burning incidents that occur in a ‘terroristic’ context. If it is determined the flags were burned in provocation of violence, then criminal sentencing kicks in. It's not a total ban.”

Ed Whelan, who holds the Antonin Scalia Chair in Constitutional Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, also pointed out that the order’s language is filled with legal limitations.

“President Trump's executive order on flag-burning is replete with qualifiers that strip it of any discernible meaning. ‘To the fullest extent possible’ sounds aggressive, but it actually means ‘within the bounds permitted by law’” he wrote.

Writer Kristen Mag admitted she initially opposed the executive action but changed her position after reading it carefully.

“Ok let’s clear this up. I was opposed to Trump’s Executive Order at first, but then I read the full text…It does NOT criminalize burning the American flag. And it does NOT infringe on our freedom of speech. It criminalizes flag burning *only* when it’s intended to incite violence or when it’s accompanied by other lawless action," she tweeted. 

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