USA Today Reporter Got Crushed for His Laughable Take on the 'Appeal to Heaven' Flag

Sometimes the jokes write themselves. I mean, what the hell is even this? It’s even more embarrassing that this reporter hails from the Ivy League. The Appeal to Heaven flag, commissioned by the first president of the United States, George Washington, is once again under attack by the media, which claims it’s a Christian nationalist flag. A USA Today reporter tried to make that claim while writing about said flag hanging in the office of a Trump official. He got cooked over it. The tweet was deleted, and he tried to clarify, but the Internet is forever, and the attempt at clarification was still rife with historical illiteracy (via The Blaze):

Deleted my initial tweet. This flag is more accurately described as a “symbol associated with Christian nationalism." ⁰⁰Please read our full story with the relevant context here: https://t.co/M09yfxqGf6 pic.twitter.com/IBcXCim0GC
— Zach Schermele (@ZachSchermele) December 16, 2025

Reminder: this is not a "Christian nationalist flag." It was commissioned by George Washington himself, was designed by his personal secretary, and has long served in official & unofficial capacities as a flag of Maine & Massachusetts https://t.co/6CHJnsvTcf https://t.co/Z5h7M3wobr
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) December 15, 2025

You earned top grades at Columbia in political science. You know better than to call the Appeal to Heaven flag a Christian nationalist symbol.

If this is the level of analysis Columbia produces, despite its role as a State Department pipeline, that says a lot about our… pic.twitter.com/E3RX6tEIju
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) December 15, 2025

A USA Today reporter is facing fierce backlash after reporting that a top education official had hung a "Christian nationalist" symbol at his office — but it turned out to be an "Appeal to Heaven" flag.
Zach Schermele posted an image of the flag hung at the office of Murray Bessette, the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development. The flag has a long historical tradition in the U.S. going back to the Revolutionary War.
[…]
His bizarre accusation was widely mocked on social media.
"We're not doing this again. We're not letting leftist media ignorance of American history demonize a patriotic flag dating back to the Revolutionary War and the Continental Navy. Proud to have it outside my office!" Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah responded.
"Reminder: this is not a 'Christian nationalist flag.' It was commissioned by George Washington himself, was designed by his personal secretary, and has long served in official & unofficial capacities as a flag of Maine & Massachusetts," Dan McLaughlin of National Review replied.
"Can we get a reporter with room temperature IQ or better?" another detractor said.
"Attacking a revolutionary war flag that celebrates natural rights is a good way to announce you hate America's founding principles," Second Amendment activist Kostas Moros said.

NEW UPDATE: Even more concerning, an unnamed source tells me that 6 schooners off Boston harbor have been seen flying the controversial Christian nationalist flag after Colonel Joseph Reed suggested the idea to general Washington! https://t.co/eeWqtMEQd7 pic.twitter.com/7CYZNs6Vas
— Timon Cline (@tlloydcline) December 15, 2025

Not only was the Pine Tree flag commissioned by George Washington; its phrase, “an appeal to heaven,” comes from John Locke’s Second Treatise, the founding text of political liberalism. https://t.co/4KYqopJBaM
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) December 16, 2025

You are a moron and a historical illiterate. https://t.co/dHe4cgqwUF
— @instapundit (@instapundit) December 15, 2025

We know the Left has zero grasp of history, and it’s always fun dragging them over it.

What is it with these people?

Trump official fires back at Democratic senator who called historic flag 'Christian nationalist' symbol https://t.co/rURxmWniBX
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 2, 2025

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