Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Thursday that anti-Israel protesters who burned a US flag in Washington, DC on Wednesday should receive a year in prison.
On Wednesday, protesters burned an American flag flying outside Union Station and raised a Palestinian flag during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official visit to Congress. President Trump said the flag burning was a “shameful act” that would be condemned by powerful leaders around the world.
“This is a very rare occurrence. If you desecrate the American flag, I think a year in prison is good enough. Now people say, 'That's unconstitutional,' and those are stupid people who say that,” Trump told “Fox & Friends.” “We need to get Congress to give you a year in prison. You're allowed to stomp on the flag, pour lighter fluid on it and set it on fire, but if you do that, you get a year in prison and you'll never see our flag again.”
Trump seeks one-year prison sentence for anti-Israel protester pic.twitter.com/lXtsFzXHrB
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 25, 2024
The former president said Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin view Americans as a “bunch of babies” and that such behavior would never happen in their countries.
“The situation we're in is very bad for the world,” Trump continued. “Yesterday was a disgrace.”
Protesters yelled “Burn that thing” and “Allah is great” while vandalizing buildings in front of Union Station, pointing to the American flag, and spray-painted graffiti reading “Liberate Gaza” and “Here comes Hamas” on Washington's Columbus Circle landmark.
Trump, who is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu on Friday, said the war between Israel and Gaza must end quickly and that the remaining hostages must be released, many of whom he presumes are dead.
In a parliamentary address on Wednesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu called for Israel and the United States to unite in confronting the threat of Hamas and releasing all hostages held by the terrorists. The Israeli prime minister also called on parliament to recognize the threat posed by Iran and called for Western nations to unite in containing Iranian hostile acts.
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