Despite President Joe Biden’s former directive that U.S. flags would be flown at half-staff during President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration day—a continuation of mourning after the death of former President Jimmy Carter—several Republicans have pledged to fly their flags at full-staff.
In honor of Carter—who died on Dec. 29, 2024, aged 100—Biden proclaimed that flags at government buildings should be flown at half-staff “as an expression of public sorrow” for 30 days—a period of time that would have included Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20.
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Several Republican Governors have made statements over the past week, ordering flags at state buildings to be flown at full-staff on inauguration day in their respective states, then returned to half-staff the day after.
“While we honor the service of a former President, we must also celebrate the service of an incoming President and the bright future ahead for the United States of America,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a staunch Trump ally, wrote in his statement on Jan. 13.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey also spoke out on that same day, announcing that she will raise the flags for the inauguration.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson followed suit on Jan. 14, ordering for flags at the United States Capitol to be raised to their full height for the inauguration, and then lowered the day after. In his statement, Johnson said that it was “to celebrate our country coming together behind the inauguration of our 47th President, Donald Trump.”
Throughout Jan. 14, other Republican governors issued similar orders, including Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong , Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, and Idaho Gov. Brad Little.
DeSantis, who presides over Florida where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home is based, said the decision was “to honor the tradition of our founding fathers and the sacrifices made by those who have served to ensure the torch of liberty continues to burn strong.”
This comes after Trump complained in January about the flags on his social media app, Truth Social, saying that Democrats were “giddy” about the flag being flown at half-staff during his inauguration.
“In any event, because of the death of President Jimmy Carter, the Flag may, for the first time ever during an Inauguration of a future President, be at half mast,” he wrote. “Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out.”Several of the governors stated in their decisions to raise the flags during the mourning period that they are still within federal standards.
Governors Lee and Ivey cited a section of the flag code that describes general times and occasions for displaying the U.S. flag, including inauguration day, But the code does not state that the flags must be at full-staff. The exact wording is “The flag should be displayed on all days, especially on…Inauguration Day, January 20”—the day included in a list of several other federal holidays. Biden’s proclamation, though, is in accordance with a section of the flag code which states that “The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the President or a former President.”