Biden to Maintain Half-Staff US Flags for Trump’s Inauguration, White House Announces
President Biden has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff for 30 days at all federal buildings following the passing of Jimmy Carter.
On Friday, the White House announced that President Joe Biden is not planning to raise the American flag to full-staff for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump is set to be inaugurated as the 47th U.S. president on January 20, which coincides with the 30-day national mourning period, creating a unique situation where American flags will be at half-staff during a presidential inauguration.
The U.S. flag code is primarily upheld through tradition rather than by law. While Biden could technically order flags to be raised for the inauguration, he has indicated no intention of doing so.
On Friday, Trump expressed his views on the matter, stating that the decision has left no one happy, except for the Democrats.
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Trump commented on Truth Social, “The Democrats are all ‘giddy’ about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration. They think it’s wonderful and are thrilled because, in reality, they don’t care about our Country; they are just self-serving,” adding that “no one wants this, and no American can be pleased about it.”
There have been occasions when flag protocols were adjusted for major events while the nation mourned a deceased president. For example, President Richard Nixon temporarily raised flags to full-staff on February 13, 1973, to honor returning prisoners of war from Vietnam, even after they had been lowered for the death of his predecessor, Lyndon B. Johnson, on January 22, shortly after Nixon’s second inauguration.
Carter, a Democrat who served as president from 1977 to 1981, will be accorded a full state funeral in Washington on January 9. Trump has indicated that he intends to attend the funeral.
Following the funeral, Carter will be interred in Plains beside his wife, Rosalynn.
