US President Donald Trump announced his intention to impose a one-year prison sentence on anyone who burns the American flag. On Monday at the White House, Trump said, “If you burn a flag, you will spend a year in prison without early release or any exceptions.” He added that this “will immediately stop flag burning incidents.” On the same day, Trump signed a decree titled “Prosecution of American Flag Burning Crimes,” which does not include the proposed one-year prison sentence but prioritizes prosecution in certain cases. American media noted a Supreme Court ruling from the late 1980s that considered flag burning as protected free speech under the US Constitution.

Regarding that ruling, Trump’s decree states there is legal room for maneuver, describing the American flag as “our great and sacred symbol of the United States and of American freedom, identity, and strength,” and that desecrating the flag is a “uniquely humiliating and provocative act.” The decree also states that if foreigners are involved in flag burning incidents, their visas can be revoked under certain conditions.