People believe ‘we’re f*****’ after claiming Trump’s newest executive order is an attack on free speech

Donald Trump has signed a new executive order that has quickly sparked controversy, with many people saying it could be an attack on free speech in the United States. Since starting his second term as president in January, Trump has been signing many executive orders and making major changes to policies affecting Americans.

Some of his earlier decisions include stopping birthright citizenship, pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement on climate change, removing diversity programs from federal agencies, and imposing new restrictions on transgender people in healthcare, the military, and sports. These moves have already divided the country, and now his newest order has intensified the debate.

On August 25, Trump signed a law that makes burning the American flag a crime punishable by up to a year in prison. He called the flag “the most sacred and cherished symbol” of the nation and said that damaging or burning it is a deliberate insult to the country’s values, freedom, and strength.

The order argues that burning the flag is not simply an act of protest but also an act that could stir violence or riots. It claims that some groups, including foreign nationals, use flag burning as a way to threaten or intimidate Americans because of their nationality.

The executive order not only makes flag burning a crime but also allows the government to cancel visas and deport non-citizens who are found guilty of it. This decision directly challenges long-standing Supreme Court rulings that have protected flag burning as a form of free speech under the First Amendment.

During the press conference where he signed the order, Trump said that flag burning has been a growing problem and criticized a past Supreme Court ruling that protected it as free expression. He said, “They called it freedom of speech, but it’s really called death,” insisting that people would now face a strict sentence with “no early exits” if they burned the flag.

The reaction online has been fierce. Many users on Reddit and other platforms expressed fear that this step is moving the country closer to limiting fundamental rights. One person simply said, “We’re f\*\*\*\*d.” Others pointed out that Trump does not have the legal power to impose a mandatory sentence or change constitutional protections with a single order, calling it political theater designed to appeal to his supporters rather than a realistic or lawful policy. Some commenters even noted that burning a flag is often the respectful way to retire a worn or damaged flag, showing how the order could create confusion rather than unity.

Critics have argued that this move undermines the very freedoms the flag is meant to represent. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a group that defends free speech, said the president cannot rewrite the Constitution just by signing a paper. “You don’t have to like flag burning,” said FIRE Chief Counsel Bob Corn-Revere. “You can condemn it, debate it, or fly your flag even higher. That’s the point of free speech—you can express your opinion, even if others hate it.”

This order is expected to face immediate legal challenges, with many lawyers and civil rights groups saying it violates established Supreme Court precedent. It also raises questions about how far the president can go in using executive orders to control political expression. Trump has long expressed anger toward flag burning, especially after protests in places like Los Angeles this summer, but this time he is trying to enforce his stance with criminal penalties, something past courts have ruled against repeatedly.

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