Speaking on “Fox & Friends” on Fox News Channel Thursday, July 25, the morning after protesters in Washington, D.C. burned the American flag to protest Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, former President Donald Trump called for those demonstrators who burned the American flag in public to face a one-year jail sentence.

As background, the Supreme Court held in Johnson v. Texas, which was decided n 1989, that flag-burning is a form of speech, and so is protected by the First Amendment. While arson, the burning of buildings, and public fires can be made illegal, which would include flag burnings, the punishment of just flag-burning speech is unconstitutional.

In any case, Trump said, speaking about the need for those demonstrators who burned the flag to be properly punished for their horrid treatment of the flag, “Rarely have we seen anything like this. And I think you should get a one-year jail sentence if you do anything to desecrate the American flag. Now people will say, ‘Oh, it’s unconstitutional.’ Those are stupid people. Those are stupid people that say that.”

Continuing, he spoke about how Congress is working on a bill to help make that punishment of the flag burners a reality, saying, “We have to work in Congress to get a one-year jail sentence. When they’re allowed to stomp on the flag and put lighter fluid on the flag and set it afire — when you’re allowed to do that — you get a one-year jail sentence, and you’ll never see it again.”

Continuing, former President Trump noted that our adversaries abroad see protesters burning our flag and think, when they see such conduct allowed, that America is full of “babies.” He said, “And all over the world, Putin and President Xi of China, all over the world they’re watching this. Kim Jong Un, he looks at us like we’re a bunch of babies.”

He added that those foreign leaders see what happens in America and look down on us because it would never happen in their countries, adding that the protesters’ display was “disgraceful.” He said, “They see that, that wouldn’t happen in their countries. It’s impossible for that to happen in their countries. We look so bad to the world. That was a disgraceful display yesterday.”

Watch him here:

https://x.com/amconmag/status/1816482353189163048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1816482353189163048%7Ctwgr%5E9763c171c081e1622fed84dfedc4004e5b176b9e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Ftrump-calls-for-jail-time-for-demonstrators-who-burn-the-american-flag

Sen. Tom Cotton announced in the wake of the flag-burning, Freedom Bell-vandalizing protests that he had introduced a bill to deport immigrants who are involved in such protests. Posting about it on X, he said, “This morning my colleagues and I introduced a bill to deport any foreigner involved in violence and vandalism on federal property. The actions of the pro-Hamas lunatics at Union Station in DC are shameful, and anyone on a visa who took part should have it revoked immediately.”

“The Biden administration’s inaction against pro-Hamas mobs has only emboldened these extremists. Our legislation makes clear that a green card does not give individuals the right to break our laws in support of anti-Semitic views,” Sen. Cotton also stated, describing the bill.

Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video