Trump Suggests Those Who Burn Flag Should Forfeit Citizenship
- Updated Nov 29, 2016
President-elect Donald Trump recently suggested that people who burn the American flag should lose their citizenship.
Trump made the suggestion in a recent tweet:
Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag - if they do, there must be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016
It is not clear what motivated Trump to make this suggestion, but RelevantMagazine.com speculates that it may be a reaction to news of protesters who were burning the flag in protest to Trump winning the election.
A couple weeks ago, ChristianHeadlines.com reported that students at Brown University burned, tore, and desecrated flags on Veterans Day. Students on other college campuses and people in various U.S. cities also reportedly resorted to burning flags in protest of Trump’s election.
CNN.com reports that there was also a notable flag-burning on the campus of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.
In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag is legal due to the right to free expression and said that any law punishing an individual who burns the flag is unconstitutional. The act of protest remains highly controversial, however.
Trump transition spokesman Jason Miller said that flag-burning should not factor into free expression.
"Flag burning should be illegal," Miller told CNN's Chris Cuomo. "The President-elect is a very strong supporter of the First Amendment, but there's a big difference between that and burning the American flag."
Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com
Publication date: November 29, 2016
