25/08/2025
Washington, D.C. — In a move that is already stirring heated national debate, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that directs the Department of Justice to prosecute anyone caught burning the American flag, with violators facing up to one year in jail.
The order marks one of the strongest executive actions taken in recent years against a form of protest that, while controversial, has long been protected under the First Amendment as free speech. Trump, who has often criticized flag-burning demonstrations during his political career, declared that harsher penalties are necessary to defend what he called “one of the greatest symbols of freedom and unity in the world.”