Donald Trump wants stricter punishments for those who disrespect the American flag.
While speaking with “Fox & Friends” Wednesday by phone, the former president shared his thoughts following protests in Washington, D.C., over the war in Gaza. Demonstrators were seen burning an American flag, which angered Trump.
“You should get a one-year jail sentence if you do anything to desecrate the American flag,” Trump firmly stated on the show before acknowledging that people will likely criticize this penalty.
“Now, people will say, ‘Oh, it’s unconstitutional.’ Those are stupid people. Those are stupid people that say that. We have to work in Congress to get a one-year jail sentence. When they’re allowed to stomp on the flag and put lighter fluid on the flag and set it afire, when you’re allowed to do that — you get a one-year jail sentence, and you’ll never see it again,” he claimed.
Burning flags in the U.S. has long been recognized as an act of free speech following a 1989 Supreme Court ruling that protected the act under the First Amendment. However, the embattled real estate mogul has always opposed it.
This is just the latest eyebrow-raising initiative that Trump wants to push. A more alarming proposal is blanket immunity for all law enforcement officers. His words come on the heels of the Sonya Massey murder, which occurred after she called the police for a possible burglary. Sean Grayson of the Sangamon County Sheriff has been charged with her murder. Under the Trump administration, he may not have been held accountable at all.
