Speaker Johnson orders U.S. Capitol flags raised to full height for Trump’s inauguration
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson of Louisiana, speaks during a ceremony as the flag-draped casket of former President Jimmy Carter lies in state, at the Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Washington. Carter died Dec. 29 at the age of 100. (Kent Nishimura/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday ordered that flags at the U.S. Capitol be raised to their full height on Inauguration Day, pausing a 30-day flag-lowering order following the death of former President Jimmy Carter.
The Republican leader’s decision means that President-elect Donald Trump will not take the oath of office for his second term under a half-staff flag, a prospect that he had previously complained about.
It mirrors actions taken in recent days by some Republican governors, including Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who have announced that flags in their states would be raised on Inauguration Day to mark Trump’s second term.
Ivey, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said flags would be raised on January 20 for President-elect Trump, then would be returned to half-staff the following day. U.S. House Speaker Johnson’s order would also lower the flags after January 20.
The 30-day flag-lowering period, set into motion with President Joe Biden’s order, affects flags at federal government buildings and their grounds, as well as at U.S. embassies and other facilities abroad, including military installations and vessels. It runs through Jan. 28, which encompasses Trump’s inauguration and first week in office.
“Democrats are all ‘giddy’” about the notion that flags will be lowered on Inauguration Day, Trump wrote Jan. 3 on social media.
“Nobody wants to see this,” Trump wrote. He added that “no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump has already taken action over the flags that he can control: at his home in Florida. In the days following Carter’s burial, a large U.S. flag at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club was observed flying at its full height, despite an order from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that mirrors Biden’s.
As of Tuesday, DeSantis had not made alterations to the flag order in his own state.
The U.S. flag code lays out parameters for lowering the U.S. flag to half-staff, including a 30-day period for current or former presidents to cover flags at federal government buildings and their grounds, as well as at U.S. embassies and other facilities abroad, including military installations and vessels.
(Copyright 2024 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
