WASHINGTON ― At the request of President-elect Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson is suspending a 30-day mourning period for the late President Jimmy Carter to allow flags at the U.S. Capitol to fly at full staff at Trump’s inauguration next week.
Johnson announced the move in a statement Tuesday less than a week before Trump is sworn in as the 47th president outside the Capitol on Monday.
“On January 20th, 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,” Johnsons said in a statement. “The flags will be lowered back to half-staff the following day to continue honoring President Jimmy Carter.”
More: Donald Trump fumes over flag flying at half-staff to honor Jimmy Carter during inauguration
U.S. flags have been flying at half-staff at all federal properties including the Capitol since Dec. 29, when President Joe Biden ordered the measure of respect following Carter’s death for 30 days ‒ the prescribed federal timeframe for lowering flags after a president’s death since 1954.
Trump, who attended Carter’s funeral service in Washington last week, has objected that the flag ritual will coincide with his inauguration.
At Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence and private club in South Florida, American flags were spotted on Tuesday flying at half-staff again, one day after The Associated Press reported spotting one raised to its full height.
In a social media post earlier this month, Trump accused Democrats of being “giddy” that the flags would be at half-staff during his inauguration. “Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out,” Trump said in his Jan. 3 post on Truth Social.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
