This 1 Tweet Sums Up the Real Problem With Trump's Flag Burning Comment

Another day, another shocking tweet from Donald Trump. On Monday, the president-elect directed his rage at citizens who burn the American flag. "Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag — if they do, there must be consequences — perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!" he wrote before Twitter erupted with reactions. NPR reports that Trump was likely inspired by recent events at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, where students burned an American flag to protest the election results and the administrators decided to take down all flags on campus after the burning.

Trump's tweet is dangerous for several reasons. It's a blatant disregard of the Supreme Court's 1989 ruling that declared flag burning constitutional under the First Amendment. But even more concerning is that his tweet promises to punish — and silence — people who protest the government or disagree with him by stripping away their fundamental rights. As president-elect, he should be defending that right with every power he has.

Ian Millhiser, the justice editor at ThinkProgress, summed this up with one poignant tweet.

Throughout the 2016 election and since he won, Trump has been berating those who disagree with him. Just look at what he did to the press behind closed doors. As many have pointed out, these actions reflect a dictator more than a president of the US.