Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has once again stirred controversy, this time by vocally supporting Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s decision to briefly fly an upside-down American flag outside his Virginia home.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Greene defended Alito and pivoted to excoriate Democrats while praising former President Donald Trump. She added a provocative call to action: “WE SHOULD ALL BE FLYING THE FLAG UPSIDE DOWN.” Greene’s defense aligns closely with the pro-Trump “Stop the Steal” movement.
The controversy erupted after The New York Times reported that an upside-down flag was flown outside Alito’s home in January 2021, just days after the Capitol riot. According to Alito, the flag was displayed briefly by his wife in response to a neighborhood dispute involving politically charged yard signs.
Greene seized on the moment to bolster her narrative of an overreaching government, claiming, “Democrats declared war on us and weaponized the full power of the justice system the minute they took power.”
In the same social media rant, Greene revisited her own use of the upside-down flag, sharing a screenshot from an August 2022 tweet in which she posted the inverted symbol following the FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. She claimed that the FBI, under Garland’s orders, “gave the green light to kill anyone that stood in the way.”
Reacting to Greene’s statements, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) emphasized the broader implications of such actions, stating on MSNBC, “What we are seeing here is an extraordinary breach of not just the trust and the stature of the Supreme Court, but we are seeing a fundamental challenge to our democracy.” She called for Senate Democrats to initiate an investigation into Alito’s actions and potential conflicts of interest.
The symbolism of the upside-down flag has deepened the cultural and political divides in America. Traditionally, it signifies a state of distress, as codified by the U.S. Flag Code, and is intended to signal extreme danger to life or property. However, its adoption by the MAGA movement has recast it as a symbol of protest against perceived governmental overreach and electoral injustices.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) acknowledged the heightened emotions but underscored the need for better judgment, noting, “It’s not good judgment to do that. He said his wife was insulted and got mad. I assume that to be true, but he’s still a Supreme Court justice, and people have to realize (at) moments like that to think it through.”