President Trump’s recent comments about Somali refugees didn’t just rattle political circles in Vermont, they managed to ignite a local firestorm over something as basic as which flag gets to fly on public property. And leave it to a school district in one of the most progressive corners of New England to respond to Trump’s criticism of refugee programs by hoisting a foreign nation’s flag above taxpayer-funded ground. Because apparently nothing says “unity” like swapping out the Stars and Stripes for a little political theater.
🚨 BREAKING: Infuriating move as Winooski School District in Vermont is raising the Somalian flag, betraying America
WE WERE INVADED!
This evil force must be repelled before it’s too late.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 8, 2025
The Winooski School District raised the Somali flag on Friday, calling it a gesture of solidarity with Somali families after Trump pointed to Minnesota’s massive Somali-linked welfare fraud cases and said, “We’re gonna go the wrong way if we keep taking garbage into our country. They have destroyed Minnesota.” Harsh? Sure. But the numbers out of Minnesota didn’t exactly come from thin air.
Progressives saw the district’s flag stunt as a bold show of compassion. Online, the reaction was… different. And by different, I mean volcanic. Critics on X accused the district of crossing a clear line. One person urged followers to flood the district with complaints. Another user wrote, “Cut 100% of any funding. And prosecute the enemy for raising a foreign flag with our tax dollars.” Others, like ThePolishDrunk, called the display “Absolutely un-American and shameful!” Max Creel summed up the sentiment with, “This BS has to stop.”
Local officials, naturally, insisted the move was noble and necessary. Interim Mayor Thomas Renner claimed Trump’s comments—and the public’s response—have had a “chilling effect” on the city’s sense of diversity. He argued that Somali residents feeling uncomfortable is reason enough to plant another country’s flag in front of a U.S. school. That logic might fly in activist meetings but doesn’t hold up for the millions of Americans who think American soil should feature, well, the American flag.
Somali refugees have lived in Vermont for decades, with roughly 600 settling in Chittenden County since 2003. Advocacy groups say they are part of the workforce and school system. Nathan Virag of the Association of Africans Living in Vermont went as far as saying the backlash could keep refugees from integrating. A curious argument, considering flying a foreign flag is about the least “integrated” visual you could pick.
For critics, though, this was never about immigration. It was about symbolism. A school district chose to take a political shot at Trump by elevating another nation’s flag over public property. And in a country struggling to agree on much of anything, the belief that American institutions should fly the American flag might be one of the last points of unity we’ve got left.
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