After former President Donald Trump’s conviction last week, conservative political commentators took to Twitter and Truth Social to post pictures of an upside-down American flag, while the right-wing Heritage Foundation actually flew one in protest. Needless to say, that is not a very good look. This is not to diminish the seriousness of Trump’s unjust trial or the terrifying precedent set by the prosecution of a current presidential candidate, but conservatives need to be cautious about the optics of disrespecting the flag.
The upside-down flag was co-opted as a right-wing symbol after the 2020 election, and the media’s attempt to generate controversy over it briefly being flown by Samuel Alito’s wife galvanized conservatives in recent weeks. However, according to the U.S. Flag Code, Old Glory should only be flown upside-down “as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.” Trump’s conviction certainly does not rise to this occasion, so flipping the flag is simply embarrassing.
The pearl-clutching from the Left about this phenomenon is similarly absurd, as the Left’s supporters were the ones who started this flag warfare. They have spent eight years defending Colin Kaepernick’s disrespectful kneeling during the national anthem, and going back even further reveals that anti-Vietnam War demonstrators carried the upside-down flag as a form of protest. In fact, John Kerry even faced controversy when he first ran for Congress because he published a book bearing a cover with a flipped flag. Furthermore, after Roe v. Wade was overturned, abortion advocates used it to signal their displeasure with the ruling.
Leftists also insist on flying pride flags on public buildings across the country, which is not as disrespectful as it is just nonsensical. Pride flags have found their way into schools, state capitol buildings, and even churches, and in the month of June, they are almost impossible to avoid.
When it comes down to it, flag warfare is stupid. Burning the flag, flipping the flag, and kneeling before the flag are all virtue signals that make no difference in the real world. Conservatives have long recognized this, and most still do. Political symbolism can be a powerful thing, but when you desecrate the American flag to make a political point, it makes you look fundamentally unserious.
To be clear, the use of the American flag as a political symbol should not be discouraged, as it is an unrivaled emblem of patriotism. However, it should be flown to highlight the positive aspects of a political message, not defiled to attack what the flag represents.