President-elect Donald Trump expressed frustration on Friday over the U.S. flag being flown at half-staff during his upcoming inauguration, which coincides with the 30-day mourning period for the late President Jimmy Carter. However, the White House has confirmed that it will not reconsider the order.
Since December 29, U.S. flags have been flown at half-staff at all federal properties, including the Capitol, following President Joe Biden’s directive to honor Carter’s passing. The measure, consistent with the federal guideline established in 1954, requires flags to remain lowered for 30 days after a president’s death. Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president on January 20, falling within this mourning period.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump criticized Democrats, accusing them of celebrating the flag’s half-staff status during his inauguration. “The Democrats are all ‘giddy’ about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration,” he wrote, misusing the term “half mast,” which refers to ships rather than flagpoles. He accused Democrats of lacking patriotism and thinking only of themselves.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that President Biden has no intention of reversing or reevaluating the flag order.
In his post, Trump also criticized Democratic leadership, saying, “Look at what they’ve done to our once GREAT America over the past four years—It’s a total mess!” He expressed disappointment that the flag might be at half-staff during his inauguration, calling it unprecedented and unpatriotic, adding, “Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out.”
President Carter, who passed away last week at the age of 100, will lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda from January 7 to January 9. Memorial services will also be held in Georgia, Carter’s home state, before his state funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington on January 9.
Despite his past criticism of Carter, whom he had labeled the “nation’s worst president,” Trump referred to him as a “truly good man” who will be missed. Trump has confirmed his plans to attend Carter’s funeral.
President Biden, committed to ensuring a peaceful transfer of power, has said he will attend Trump’s inauguration, even though Trump skipped Biden’s inauguration in 2021 following disputes over the 2020 election results.
