Man arrested outside WH for burning US flag hours after Trump order

A man who identified himself as a "20-year combat veteran" was arrested outside the White House for burning an American flag hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to crack down on flag-burning.

The U.S. Secret Service told The Hill that they detained a person at about 6:15 p.m. on Monday in Lafayette Park “for igniting an object” and turned the person over to the U.S. Park Police, which has jurisdiction.

The Park Police said it arrested a person in the park at about 6:30 p.m. for violating 36 CFR 2.13(a)(1), which prohibits fire in public parks, except in designated areas. The police didn't identify the person, saying that information will not become publicly available until charges are formalized by a court.  

The Bulwark posted on X on Monday a video of a man burning an American flag, identifying himself by name and as a "20-year combat veteran" who served in the Army.

“I fought for every single one of your rights to express yourself in however you feel that you may want to express yourself. There’s a First Amendment right to burn the American flag,” the man said into a bullhorn, adding, “No president can make a law, period.”

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute cases in which individuals “desecrate” the flag by identifying state and local laws they may have violated. The order also directs administration officials to terminate or revoke visas if foreign nationals are found to have desecrated the flag.

In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag is protected under the First Amendment.