As it relates to a U.S. President being Inaugurated, all the stops are pulled out. It is always a very prestigious and dignified occasion, with a lot of pomp and circumstance. Under normal circumstances, when a U.S. President is going to be sworn in, the American Flag on all government buildings are flying at full staff. However, when a U.S. President passes, out of respect to that president, American flags at all government locations are supposed to be flown at half-staff for 30 days.
Donald Trump leading up to his inauguration day January 20, 2025, insisted that Democrats were gleeful that he wouldn’t get the full respect of having the flags flown at full-staff due to the death of former President Jimmy Carter. Trump fumed about it for several weeks before getting a temporary reprieve in honor of his being sworn in for a second time as Commander-in-Chief.
As it turns out, Mr. Trump will get his way. Flags will be flown at full-staff on January 20, 2025, for his second Inauguration as president, despite an order from President Biden to lower the flags to half-staff in remembrance of the late President Jimmy Carter. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Republican, announced the decision to raise the flags to full staff in a message on X, writing: “On January 20, the flags at the Capitol will fly at full staff to celebrate our country coming together behind the inauguration of our 47th President, Donald Trump.”
The flags will be lowered back to half-staff the following day to continue honoring President Jimmy Carter.
President Jimmy Carter, a president who was beloved by many, even after his term in office concluded, passed away at the age of 100 on December 29, last year, making him the longest-lived president in American history. As is tradition following the death of a president, President Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on federal properties for 30 days, which would coincide with the Inauguration of the president-elect. Trump actually used the word “giddy” as he described how he feels that Democrats were thinking about the thought of the American Flag not waving at full height during the oath-taking ceremony.
“The Democrats are all ‘giddy’ about our magnificent American Flag, potentially being at ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration,” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social. “They think it’s so great and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don’t love our country–they only think about themselves.
Donald Trump’s demand marks a departure from tradition. When President Nixon was inaugurated in 1973, the flags at the Capitol building were flown at half-staff in honor of former President Harry Truman, who died on December 26, 1972.
An easy way to remember when to fly the United States flag at half-staff is to consider when the whole nation is in mourning. These periods of mourning are proclaimed either by the president of the United States for national remembrance or the governor of a state or territory for local remembrance in the event of the death of a member or former member of the federal, state, or territorial government or judiciary. The heads of departments and agencies of the federal government may also order that the flag be flown at half-staff on buildings, grounds, and naval vessels under their jurisdiction.
On Memorial Day, the flag should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon only, then raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset in honor of the nation’s battle heroes. In the early days of our country, no regulations existed for flying the flag at half-staff, and, as a result, there were many conflicting policies. But, on March 1, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower issued a proclamation on the proper times. The flag should fly at half-staff for 30 days at all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and its territories and possessions after the death of the president or a former president.
It is to fly 10 days at half-staff after the death of the vice president, the chief justice or a retired chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, or the speaker of the House of Representatives.
For an associate justice of the Supreme Court, a member of the Cabinet, a former vice president, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority leader of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the majority leader of the House of Representatives, or the minority leader of the House of Representatives the flag is to be displayed at half-staff from the day of death until interment.
The flag is to be flown at half-staff at all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels in the Washington, D.C., area on the day and day after the death of a United States senator, representative, territorial delegate, or resident commissioner from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It should also be flown at half-staff on all federal facilities in the state, congressional district, territory, or commonwealth of these officials.
Upon the death of the governor of a state, territory, or possession, the flag should be flown at half-staff on all federal facilities in that governor’s state, territory, or possession from the day of death until interment.
The president may order the flag to be flown at half-staff to mark the death of other officials, former officials, or foreign dignitaries. In addition to these occasions, the president may order a half-staff display of the flag after other tragic events. The flag should be briskly run up to the top of the staff before being lowered slowly to the half-staff position.
Put your seatbelts on. We have a new President in the White House, and from day to day, we’re going to need to keep our seatbelts on tight. Stay tuned to our Civics column weekly here in the SCOOP.
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