Johnson Orders All U.S. Capitol Flags to Be Raised to ‘Full Staff’ for Trump’s Inauguration, Ignoring Biden’s Flag Directive
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
10:53 AM – Tuesday, January 14, 2025
House Speaker Mike Johnson has directed that flags at the U.S. Capitol be flown at full staff during the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
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On Tuesday, Johnson (R-La.) announced that the flags would be flown at full staff during the inauguration, despite President Biden’s order to lower them in memory of the late Democratic President Jimmy Carter.
“On January 20th, the flags at the Capitol will be at full-staff to mark the unity of our nation behind the inauguration of the president-elect,” Johnson stated.
“The flags will return to half-staff the following day to continue honoring President Jimmy Carter,” he added.
President Biden had mandated that the flags remain at half-staff for 30 days after the death of Carter, who passed away on December 29th, 2024.
This order for half-staff flags applies to the White House, all public buildings, and U.S. military posts.
Numerous Republican leaders have voiced their discontent over the prospect of flags being half-staff during Trump’s inauguration celebrations.
President-elect Trump addressed this situation earlier this month on his Truth Social platform, suggesting that Democrats appeared “giddy” at the thought of the nation mourning during his second term.
“Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump expressed.
On Monday, flags at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, were raised to full-staff, even though Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) had issued a similar 30-day flag order for Carter. Federal protocol dictates flags must be at half-staff for 30 days following any former president’s death.
Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) also declared on Monday that flags at state government facilities would be flown at full-staff in honor of Trump’s inauguration.
“Today, I ordered flags raised to full-staff at the Texas Capitol & state buildings for President Trump’s inauguration,” Abbott announced on platform X. “While we honor President Carter’s service, we also celebrate an incoming President & our bright future.”
Johnson’s directive pertains solely to the flags at the U.S. Capitol, excluding other government buildings. Biden’s 30-day order will expire on January 28th, but Trump could revoke his own order upon taking office on January 20th.
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