Fake quote about flag-burning attributed to James Mattis

An image spreading on social media shows what looks like a dramatic statement attributed to Gen. James Mattis, who served as then-President Donald Trump’s secretary of defense before resigning in protest. 

"James ‘Mad-Dog’ Mattis," reads the text above a photo of the general. "Forget jail: If you burn the American flag you’ll spend two years in the military. I promise you, you’ll be cured of the desire to burn a flag ever again. You’ll be waving it; saluting it; or you’ll be lying under it."

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We found no evidence that Mattis said this. 

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stated on April 1, 2024 in a Facebook post

It’s a sign of war that the U.S. Navy is assisting the U.S. Coast Guard in cleaning up Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge site.

The same image has been shared on a meme website and Facebook but with a caveat: "Not an official quote. Just an awesome idea featuring legendary marine, and now secretary of defense, Mattis."

That caveat is missing as it spreads on social media today, and it was in 2019 when an Indian politician tweeted the faux Mattis quote. Alt News, a fact-checking website based in India, looked into the origins of the quote claim then and noted that the name "Mahesh Vikram Hegde" was stamped on the photo. Hegde had been arrested twice in the southwest Indian state of Karnataka for spreading misinformation, according to Alt News. 

In June 2020, Mattis said that Trump’s actions threatened the U.S. Constitution. Flag-burning is considered "symbolic speech" under federal law, and the Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that it is protected by the First Amendment. 

We rate claims that Mattis said this False.