Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump stated on Thursday that anti-Israel protesters who burned the American flag in Washington, D.C., should face a one-year jail sentence.
Protesters ignited the American flag in front of Union Station and raised a Palestinian flag during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s state visit to Congress on Wednesday. Trump condemned the act as a disgraceful display observed by powerful global leaders.
“Rarely have we seen anything like this. And I think you should get a one-year jail sentence if you do anything to desecrate the American flag. Now, people will say ‘oh, it’s unconstitutional.’ Those are stupid people, those are stupid people who say that,” Trump told “Fox & Friends Thursday.”
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“We have to work in Congress to get a one-year jail sentence. When they’re allowed to stomp on the flag and put lighter fluid on the flag and set it afire, when you’re allowed to do that, you get a one-year jail sentence and you’ll never see it again.” The former president said Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are viewing Americans “as a bunch of babies” as this act could never take place in their countries,” Trump said.
“What we have, we look so bad to the world,” Trump continued. “That was a disgraceful display yesterday.”
Anti-Israel protesters released maggots and crickets in Washington, D.C.’s Watergate Hotel during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stay on Tuesday.
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Netanyahu was visiting the U.S. to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday afternoon as Israel’s conflict with Hamas continues. The event has drawn outrage from some Democratic lawmakers, leading some to decide not to attend the address.
A video on social media platform X shows a Watergate conference room covered in maggots and hallways crawling with crickets. The clip also captures the hotel’s alarm system announcing a fire alarm had been pulled.
A hotel spokesperson confirmed awareness of the incident and stated that the hotel had been cleaned up.
“We are aware of the social media video circulating on multiple platforms involving The Watergate Hotel and the unfortunate incident that occurred at the property yesterday,” they wrote. “Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our guests and staff. We took the necessary steps to ensure the property has been sanitized and is now operating as normal. We are cooperating fully with authorities, who are handling the situation. As this is an open case, we are unable to provide any further details at this time.”
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This incident coincides with thousands of anti-Israel protesters taking to the streets of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to protest Netanyahu’s presence.
Demonstrators beat drums, lit flares, and hoisted Palestinian flags to show solidarity with those affected by the conflict in Gaza. Capitol Police reported that some members of the crowd became violent, leading them to deploy pepper spray.
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