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A U.S. military veteran was filmed burning an American flag outside the White House on the same day that President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking new consequences for doing so.
Trump signed the order on Monday, directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute violations of laws involving flag desecration and to pursue litigation that would clarify the scope of the First Amendment as it relates to flag desecration. The order additionally directs Bondi to refer flag desecration cases that violate state and local laws to appropriate local authorities.
Footage from outside the White House on the same day shows a man who identified himself as a veteran speaking through a megaphone while burning the flag.
“I am a 20-year veteran of the United States Army,” the man says as the flag burns at his feet. “It is our First Amendment right to burn this flag, regardless of what the president says.”
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At one point in the video, another man approaches the veteran, but it is unclear what he says.
The veteran responds by repeatedly telling him to “get away from me.”
Trump’s order followed months of protesters burning American flags at various anti-Israel and anti-ICE demonstrations.
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Trump has nevertheless faced pushback from the right on social media after signing the order, with conservatives largely defending flag-burning as a First Amendment right.
“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,” conservative radio host Jesse Kelly wrote on X.
“Flag burning is vile but the government has no right to control speech or expression,” radio host Dana Loesch wrote.
The Supreme Court ruled in the 1989 case Texas v. Johnson that burning the American flag is a form of symbolic speech that is protected by the First Amendment. Trump’s executive order, which directs the attorney general to “pursue litigation to clarify the scope of the First Amendment exceptions” in the realm of flag burning, signals there will likely be upcoming litigation challenging the 1989 ruling.
Fox News’ Lindsey Kornick contributed to this report
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