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.