‘No Brainer!’: Trump Supports Sen. Daines’ Proposed Amendment to Ban Flag Burning

Lebanese supporters of the Shiite Hezbollah movement burn a US flag during a rally against
MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump expressed support for Sen. Steve Daines’ (R-MT) constitutional amendment proposal in a tweet Saturday. The amendment would effectively ban the burning of the American flag.

“All in for Senator Steve Daines as he proposes an Amendment for a strong BAN on burning our American Flag,” Trump tweeted Saturday morning. “A no brainer!”

Daines reintroduced the controversial proposal in a press release Friday, on Flag Day.

“Our United States flag is a timeless symbol of liberty that tells the story of America, the story of our enduring pursuit of freedom,” Daines said.

“Remembering the sacrifices of all who carried its colors into battle, our nation should always render the flag the honor and dignity it is due,” he continued.

The wording itself is short and straightforward: “The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.’’

Daines has been pushing the proposal since 2017.

As Breitbart News reported:

On June 14, 2018, Daines commemorated national Flag Day by highlighting the Constitutional Amendment to prohibit the burning of the American flag on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Daines said during his speech last year, “Our flag should be protected in honor of the countless American service members who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend it.”

Flag burning has been legal since the Supreme Court’s 1989 Texas v. Johnson landmark ruling, which determined that the act is a protected form of speech.

This is not the first time Trump has expressed support for criminalizing the deed. After his historic victory in 2016, Trump tweeted, “Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!”

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