By Johnathan Jones May 27, 2026 at 1:50pm
A California Democrat running for Congress went viral this week after a video showed her refusing to acknowledge the American flag during the Pledge of Allegiance.
The clip, shared earlier this week by the popular X account End Wokeness, featured Sacramento City Councilwoman Mai Vang standing with her back turned toward the flag while other council members recited the pledge.
The video shows the other council members participating in the pledge while Vang stares down at her hands.
Sacramento Councilwoman Mai Vang turns back on flag, rejects Pledge Of Allegiance: pic.twitter.com/0IIJUuRoPu
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 24, 2026
It is unclear when the footage was recorded.
Vang had addressed her refusal to acknowledge the pledge in a Facebook post from last year.
Do you think California Democrats will reward her with a congressional seat?
“And this is exactly why I choose not to recite the Pledge of Allegiance during every council meeting,” she wrote.
“As much as I love this country, I use that moment to ground myself — to center our communities and remind myself of the injustices and harm that continue to affect so many, both locally and across the globe, under this nation’s influence,” she continued.
Vang also accused Americans of becoming “numb” to current events and claimed “it’s part of the plan to keep us complacent.”
“But instead, we resist,” she wrote.
The post included tags such as “#FreePalestine,” as well as messages that appeared tied to anti-ICE activism.
According to her campaign website, Vang is the daughter of Hmong refugees who fled Laos and settled in California.
“Mai’s parents fled war in Laos and arrived in California to find a new life,” the site said.
The campaign biography said Vang was born and raised in Sacramento.
Her website added that during President Donald Trump’s first administration, Vang “championed and passed the first-ever Safe Haven Resolution in the State of California.”
According to the campaign, California schools must be “a place of safety and protection for all students and families, regardless of immigration status.”
Vang is running a campaign to unseat incumbent Rep. Doris Matsui.
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Johnathan Jones is a journalist, novelist, and media analyst with experience as a reporter, editor, and producer across radio, television, and digital platforms. Follow him on X: @misterjkjones
