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Dem. Candidate Tim Ryan Refuses To Salute Flag During Nat. Anthem at Dem. Debate

By Joe Setyon July 30, 2019 at 5:22pm

Ohio Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan turned some heads just prior to Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate.

During the playing of the national anthem before the debate started, Ryan was the only one out of 10 Democratic candidates who did not put his hand over his heart.

It sparked quite a reaction on Twitter:

Tim Ryan? No hand over his heart for the anthem? WTF? pic.twitter.com/bnM9LDOfkd

— Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) July 31, 2019

Put your hand over your heart for the star spangled banner Tim Ryan!!! #DemocraticDebate

— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) July 31, 2019

Rep. Tim Ryan the only candidate without his hand over his heart during the national anthem… #DemDebate

— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) July 31, 2019

Do you think what Ryan did was disrespectful?

Tim Ryan? No hand over his heart for the anthem? WTF? pic.twitter.com/bnM9LDOfkd

— Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) July 31, 2019

Tim Ryan just lost points for hands off heart. LOSING! #DemDebate

— Jeremy Newberger (@jeremynewberger) July 31, 2019

Tim Ryan is protesting.

— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) July 31, 2019

Rep. Tim Ryan didn’t put his hand over his heart during the national anthem. I guess he’s appealing to the Kaepernick wing of the Democratic Party.

— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) July 31, 2019

@TimRyan is the only one without his hand over his heart during the Star Spangled Banner #CNNDebate pic.twitter.com/bRk81yLnmi

— Jim Petras (@jimpetras) July 31, 2019

Tim Ryan with no hand on his heart. Notable. Probably the only notable thing he’ll do tonight. #DemDebate

— Delonté Donray ➒ (@dilemmv) July 31, 2019

It wasn’t immediately clear why Ryan did not put his hand over his heart, but it’s possible he did it in protest.

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the trend of protesting the national anthem by kneeling during the 2016 NFL season.

Nobody took a knee during the anthem but Tim Ryan didn’t have his hand over his heart. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/KfFFMePXXn

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 31, 2019

Facing the flag and standing at attention with one’s hand over one’s heart during the playing of the anthem is traditionally seen as a sign of respect for America’s armed forces and military veterans.

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Tags:

2020 election, Democratic debate, Democratic primary, National anthem, Politics

Joe Setyon

Deputy Managing Editor, Editorial

SummaryMore Biographical InformationRecent PostsContact

Joe Setyon was a deputy managing editor for The Western Journal who had spent his entire professional career in editing and reporting. He previously worked in Washington, D.C., as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine.

@JoeSetyon

Joe Setyon was deputy managing editor for The Western Journal with several years of copy editing and reporting experience. He graduated with a degree in communication studies from Grove City College, where he served as managing editor of the student-run newspaper. Joe previously worked as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine, a libertarian publication in Washington, D.C., where he covered politics and wrote about government waste and abuse.

Birthplace

Brooklyn, New York

Topics of Expertise

Sports, Politics