Man who burned U.S. flag near White House after Trump order is arrested
A man was arrested near the White House on Monday evening for setting fire to an American flag in Lafayette Park, shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting flag desecration.
The U.S. Secret Service confirmed the arrest in a statement to Newsweek, stating that the individual was detained around 6:15 p.m. EDT for “igniting an object.” The suspect was later turned over to U.S. Park Police, who reported that he had violated a law prohibiting fires in public parks.
In a video posted by The Bulwark on social media, the man identified himself as a 20-year combat veteran. He said he burned the flag in protest against what he described as “that illegal fascist president that sits in that House.”
The incident occurred just hours after President Trump signed an executive order instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi to prioritize enforcement of federal laws—both civil and criminal—related to the desecration of the American flag. While the order does not criminalize flag burning directly, it argues that such acts “may incite violence and riot.”
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that flag burning is a form of symbolic speech protected under the First Amendment. Nevertheless, during the signing ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump criticized that decision, claiming that flag burnings are happening “all over the country” and provoke strong public reactions.
“You can do other things. You can burn this piece of paper,” Trump said, pointing to a document on his desk. “But when you burn the American flag, it incites riots at levels that we’ve never seen before. People go crazy in both ways.”
The executive order came as approximately 2,000 National Guardsmen remain deployed in Washington, D.C., amid heightened tensions across the capital.
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