Twitter users slam New York Times for article criticizing American flag on Independence Day

Twitter users have come out in droves to slam The New York Times after they published an article ahead of Independence Day that criticizes the American flag, stating that those who display the flag often identify with the right.

"Today, flying the flag from the back of a pickup truck or over a lawn is increasingly seen as a clue, albeit an imperfect one, to a person's political affiliation in a deeply divided nation," wrote The New York Times.

The article, titled "A Fourth of July Symbol of Unity That May No Longer Unite," states that with former President Donald Trump's time in office, the flag was largely abandoned by the left due to its connotations with the right.

"Supporters of former President Donald J. Trump have embraced the flag so fervently — at his rallies, across conservative media and even during the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol — that many liberals like Mr. Treiber worry that the left has all but ceded the national emblem to the right," the article continued.

"What was once a unifying symbol — there is a star on it for each state, after all — is now alienating to some, its stripes now fault lines between people who kneel while 'The Star-Spangled Banner' plays and those for whom not pledging allegiance is an affront," the publication wrote.

Despite the article's complaints, they cite a recent survey from YouGov that states that around 70 percent of Americans say the flag makes them feel proud.

They also added a comment from Prof. John Vile, stating that "politicizing the American flag is thus a perversion of its original intent."

Vile is the author of The American Flag: An Encyclopedia of the Stars and Stripes In U.S. History, Culture and Law.

Users across Twitter expressed their outrage over the article, with some trolling the outlet by posting American flags.

Even one user not aligned with Trump's politics said that they would not allow the flag to be hijacked, and would continue to fly the flag.