Dem House Candidate, Daughter of Immigrants, Goes Viral After Refusing to Acknowledge Pledge of Allegiance
A California Democratic candidate for Congress, Sacramento City Councilwoman Mai Vang, has gone viral for refusing to acknowledge the U.S. flag during the Pledge of Allegiance. In a video shared online, she stood with her back turned while other council members recited the pledge, then stared down at her hands. The clip’s recording date is unclear, though Vang previously said she does not recite the pledge at every council meeting, describing it as a moment for reflection on injustices affecting her communities.
Her past remarks also criticized Americans for becoming “numb” to current events and suggested this could contribute to public complacency. Vang’s campaign says she is the daughter of Hmong refugees who fled Laos and settled in California, and that she grew up in Sacramento. She is running to challenge incumbent Rep. doris Matsui, and her website highlights policies aimed at making California schools safe for students and families regardless of immigration status.
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, d 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 post from last year.
“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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