President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Monday aimed at addressing the burning of the American flag, a move that drew strong and unusual criticism from conservatives.
The order instructs the attorney general to prosecute violations of existing laws involving flag desecration and to pursue litigation designed to clarify the reach of the First Amendment in cases involving flag burning.
It also directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to refer cases that break state or local laws on flag desecration to local authorities for enforcement.
The action followed months of demonstrations in which protesters burned American flags during anti-Israel rallies and anti-ICE protests.
These incidents fueled renewed debate over the limits of free expression and the federal government’s role in prosecuting acts tied to national symbols.
Trump’s move received rare pushback from conservatives on social media.
Critics argued that while flag burning is deeply offensive, it has long been recognized as a form of symbolic expression protected under the First Amendment.
Colin Wright, an evolutionary biologist, wrote, “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