The Executive Order referenced is President Trump’s August 25, 2025 order, “Prosecuting Burning of the American Flag.” It does not create a new federal crime of flag desecration. Instead it: (1) directs the Attorney General to prioritize and “vigorously” prosecute existing federal crimes and civil violations when flag desecration is part of conduct that already breaks content‑neutral laws (e.g., violence, property damage, hate crimes, civil rights violations), and to pursue litigation aimed at narrowing First Amendment protections in this area; (2) tells federal agencies to refer potential violations of state/local laws (like open‑burning, disorderly conduct, or property‑destruction statutes) to local authorities; and (3) instructs the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security and the Attorney General to use existing immigration law to deny, terminate, or revoke visas, residence permits, naturalization proceedings, and other immigration benefits, or seek removal, when a foreign national’s flag‑desecration activity fits within grounds already allowed under statutes such as 8 U.S.C. §§ 1182(a), 1227(a), 1424, 1427, and 1451(c).
The Executive Order does not give a clear, single definition of “flag desecration tied to violence and lawlessness.” Instead, it describes the target as desecration that violates existing “content‑neutral” laws and causes “harm unrelated to expression.” It lists examples of the kinds of violations it wants prosecuted when they occur together with flag desecration: violent crimes, hate crimes, illegal discrimination or other civil‑rights violations against Americans, and crimes against property and public peace (including conspiracies, attempts, aiding and abetting). In practice, “tied to violence and lawlessness” means flag desecration that is part of or accompanied by conduct prosecutable under these non‑speech‑based laws, not peaceful protest alone.
Under the Executive Order, existing immigration and naturalization processes are used; no new tribunal is created. For visas and immigration status (noncitizens), the Departments of State and Homeland Security (through consular officers, DHS, and immigration courts) apply grounds in the Immigration and Nationality Act such as inadmissibility and deportability (e.g., 8 U.S.C. §§ 1182(a), 1227(a)). For naturalization and denaturalization, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) handles applications, but revocation of citizenship (denaturalization) generally requires the Department of Justice to bring a civil suit in federal district court under 8 U.S.C. § 1451, or to seek revocation following a criminal conviction for naturalization fraud. The Executive Order simply instructs State, DHS, and DOJ to use these existing authorities when they determine a foreign national’s flag‑desecration activity fits within those statutory grounds.
The specific revocation and removal measures described in the Executive Order apply only to non‑U.S. citizens (foreign nationals). The order authorizes denial, termination, or revocation of visas, residence permits, naturalization proceedings, and other immigration benefits, and removal from the United States, all of which are immigration powers that apply to noncitizens. U.S. citizens are not subject to visa or removal actions under this policy, though the order does direct the Attorney General to prosecute anyone—citizen or noncitizen—under existing criminal and civil laws when flag desecration is part of conduct that violates those laws.
There is no nationwide federal law that universally mandates recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools or at government events. Instead, most regulation occurs at the state level: 47 states require public schools to provide for a daily or regular recitation of the Pledge, but almost all include opt‑out rights based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in West Virginia v. Barnette, which forbids compelling students to salute or recite the Pledge. At the federal level, Congress has only encouraged, not mandated, the Pledge in schools (and recent bills like the Promoting American Patriotism In Our Schools Act, as of now, are proposals, not enacted national requirements). Government events may include the Pledge by custom or house rules, but it is not generally compulsory by federal law.
National Pledge of Allegiance Day is observed on two different dates in practice. The officially proclaimed federal observance was created by President George H.W. Bush in 1989 to mark the anniversary of the Pledge’s first publication; that proclamation set National Pledge of Allegiance Day on September 8, 1989, and later references treat September 8 as the recurring date. Separately, many calendars and organizations (including military and civic sites) observe “Pledge of Allegiance Day” annually on December 28, the date in 1945 when Congress formally recognized the current version of the Pledge. The 2025 White House message you’re asking about uses December 28 as the observance date.