The Daily Populous Monday June 29th, 2026 evening edition
Authored by nbcnews.com and submitted by phillygirllovesbagel

To fly or not to fly an American flag? That was never a question for Bruce Watson, who has put his national pride on display for years — and nudges neighbors in his small New England town to do the same.

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“I’m very proud of our flag,” the writer said. “It’s the symbol of ‘We, the People.’”

But as the polarized nation marks its 250th birthday, Watson, 72, worries his Stars and Stripes may now need an asterisk. “If we do fly the flag, we will also put out signs to make it clear that we are not MAGA,” he said.

Bruce Watson, at his home with his dog, Mavis, in Montague, Mass., says he plans to put a disclaimer next to his flag. Hannah Beier for NBC News

The American flag is a symbol striped with many meanings, whether it’s hung on front porches, waved in parades, protests and World Cup matches, or stamped on lapel pins and boxing trunks. Like so much else in American life, it has also been tangled up in politics and the policies of President Donald Trump.

NBC News asked readers to share their feelings and practices around the flag in a moment, polls suggest, when patriotism, national pride and optimism for the country’s future are all fraying. Like Watson, some say the flag can be taken as an endorsement of the current administration. For others, it isn’t tied to any one party but is a way of life.

Rather than not fly the flag, several readers said they plan to show their patriotism — and protest Trump — by flying it upside down to signal that the country is in distress.

Former-Counter-9588 on June 29th, 2026 at 12:05 UTC »

So much of the 250th merch makes it seem like we’re remembering a lost loved one. 1776-2026 dated like a freaking tombstone.

Plutos_Cavein on June 29th, 2026 at 12:04 UTC »

People who wave it around constantly in situations where it doesn't make sense have always been a red flag. There is nothing scumbag pieces of shit love more to camouflage their nature then patriotism and religion.

BlotchComics on June 29th, 2026 at 12:03 UTC »

The flag has become a prop for performative patriotism used to mask racism and support for a facist theocracy.