Donald Trump wants people who burn the American flag to lose their citizenship or spend a year in prison, he tweeted on Tuesday morning:
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
Laws prohibiting the burning or desecration of the American flag have been struck down by the Supreme Court, most recently in 1989 and 1990, because they were found to have violated the First Amendment of the Constitution, which protects freedom of speech.
In its 1989 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the right of protests to burn the flag in a 5-4 decision, with Justice Antonin Scalia siding with the protesters. He later said he based his ruling on a “textural” reading of the Constitution, according to the Constitution Center blog.
“If it were up to me, I would put in jail every sandal-wearing, scruffy-bearded weirdo who burns the American flag,” Scalia said in 2015 in Philadelphia. “But I am not king.”
His other Tuesday morning thoughts, CNN and Michigan:
I thought that @CNN would get better after they failed so badly in their support of Hillary Clinton however, since election, they are worse!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016
The Great State of Michigan was just certified as a Trump WIN giving all of our MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN supporters another victory – 306!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016
