Who is Jay Carey? Army veteran who burnt US flag outside White House sparks shockwave after Trump's order

A military veteran was detained after burning an American flag outside the White House in protest of Donald Trump's executive order. A viral video on social media shows Jay Carey saying into a megaphone, "I'm a retired, disabled combat veteran, served over 20 years. It's a First Amendment right to burn the American flag. I'm burning it as a protest to that illegal, fascist president that sits in that house", before setting light to a gas-drenched flag.

The incident happened on the day President Trump signed an executive order calling for a year in prison for anyone who burns the American flag. The Supreme Court has previously ruled that flag burning is protected speech under the First Amendment. The Secret Service said in a statement that it arrested the man "for igniting an object" and that he was turned over to U.S. Park Police.

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Who is Jay Carey?

Jay Carey is a retired Army combat veteran with 22 years of service and a Bronze Star recipient. The Army veteran was arrested this week near White House after setting fire to an American Flag on Monday, hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to punish those who burn the American flag. A retired combat veteran and Bronze Star recipient, Jay Carey was taken into custody after the incident in Lafayette Park, FOX5 reported.


In videos posted on social media, Carey was seen telling passersby that Trump's executive order violates the First Amendment. "I served over 20 years in the United States Army," he said. "I fought for every single one of your rights to express yourself in however you feel that you may want to express yourself. It is a First Amendment right to burn the American flag."

He added: "I'm doing it for every single one of you American citizens. We burn this flag in protest to that president who feels that it's his right to do whatever he wants, make whatever law he wants, regardless if it's legal or illegal."

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President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday: "When you burn the American flag, it incites riots at levels we've never seen before. People go crazy." He added: "You burn a flag, you get one year in jail. You don't get 10 years, you don't get one month. You get one year in jail, and it goes on your record, and you will see flag burning stopping immediately."

Jay Carey previously went viral after he hurled expletives at Republican Representative Chuck Edwards as he criticized Trump administration cuts at a town hall event in North Carolina in March, reports Newsweek. Videos show him yelling "do your job," "you don't get to do this" and "f*** you."

He later told the Asheville Watchdog in an interview that he felt it was necessary, adding: "I think it was the only way to really get his attention, and it was the energy that I want to see from everyone—to stand up and to speak back to the representatives that aren't serving us, as is their duty." He said he was escorted out of the building, but not charged with any offenses.

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According to the news website, Carey is a registered Democrat who served in the tank corps in Desert Storm in Iraq, and in Afghanistan and Bosnia. He also ran for Edwards' congressional seat in 2022, but lost in the Democratic primary.

Carey was released from custody on Monday night. He said in a video posted on TikTok that he was held for several hours and released after being charged with "lighting a fire in a park."

"I did this in protest of what Donald Trump did with that executive order saying that it was illegal to burn an American flag. He can't make orders and I want to put it to the test. So I did," he said. "I'm not in jail for a year."