When and where did the first recorded MAGA hat burning protests occur?

1. The earliest widely reported instance: Minneapolis, October 2019

News organizations reported that during protests outside Donald Trump’s rally at the Target Center in Minneapolis on the night of October 10–11, 2019, demonstrators set MAGA hats on fire; local and national outlets documented video and eyewitness accounts of the burnings amid clashes and police responses ^{[1] [2]}. Multiple outlets — including KSBY and USA Today in the provided set — described protesters burning hats as part of a larger demonstration that also included pepper spray, bicycle and mounted police lines, and impromptu marches ^{[1] [2]}.

2. How later episodes differ: online stunts and intra‑movement symbolism in 2025

In 2025 the hat‑burning motif reappeared both as actual videos of supporters burning MAGA hats and as public encouragements by right‑wing personalities to do so, specifically in reaction to dispute over Jeffrey Epstein‑related files; The Guardian and tabloid coverage recorded supporters burning hats in online videos and figures like Nick Fuentes calling for hat burnings ^{[4] [3]}. These 2025 incidents were framed less as anti‑Trump street protests and more as symbolic acts by disaffected pro‑Trump activists aimed at signaling a rupture within the MAGA movement ^{[4] [3]}.

3. Scope and limitations of available reporting

The sources in this packet do not claim to be a comprehensive archive of every MAGA‑hat burning. They establish a clear, early documented public burning at the Minneapolis protest in October 2019 ^{[1] [2]} and then later examples and calls to burn hats in mid‑2025 tied to the Epstein controversy ^{[3] [4]}. Available sources do not mention any documented public MAGA‑hat burnings preceding October 2019 in this dataset; if earlier incidents occurred, they are not found in current reporting provided here.

4. Differing portrayals and political framing

Mainstream outlets in 2019 described the hat burning as part of cross‑side clashes at a large anti‑Trump demonstration ^{[1] [2]}, whereas 2025 coverage emphasized internal MAGA dissent and online performative acts captured or encouraged by partisan commentators ^{[4] [3]}. The difference matters: 2019 reports treated the burnings as oppositional protest against Trump’s event, while 2025 reports treated them as intra‑movement repudiation intended to send a political message to Trump and his allies ^{[4] [3]}.

5. Evidence quality: video, eyewitness and social posts

The 2019 Minneapolis accounts cite video shared by journalists and eyewitness reporting of bonfires and hat burnings outside the arena ^{[2] [5]}. The 2025 instances often reference online videos and social‑media posts, plus public statements by personalities urging action — a mix of primary footage and amplified commentary ^{[3] [4]}. Readers should note that social posts can be decontextualized or recycled; one 2025 item in the dataset flags that some circulated images were older or misattributed ^[6].

6. Motives and messaging behind burning a MAGA hat

Across the sources, the act is presented as symbolic: in 2019 a tactic within anti‑Trump protests to denounce the administration; in 2025 a gesture by former supporters signaling disillusionment or punishment for perceived betrayals ^{[1] [4] [3]}. Commentators urging burnings frame them as a way to get Trump’s attention; other coverage treats them as performative and aimed at a specific faction of the base ^{[3] [4]}.

7. Takeaway for readers and researchers

If your question is strictly “when and where was the first recorded MAGA‑hat burning,” the reporting in this selection identifies the Minneapolis anti‑Trump protests, October 10–11, 2019, as the earliest documented public instance ^{[1] [2]}. For broader context and the meaning of subsequent burnings, consult the 2025 coverage that situates later incidents within intra‑right disputes and social‑media campaigns ^{[4] [3]}.