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Flags to Go Up For Trump Inauguration, Go Back Down for Carter

An American flag flying with the U.S. Capitol dome behind it123RF

For the second Donald Trump inauguration, U.S. flags ordered to be at half-staff in tribute to President Jimmy Carter will rise for a day.

Donald Trump, the nation’s 45th president, will become the nation’s 47th president on Monday. He will also become only the second president in history to have a gap between their two terms. In case you were sleeping during history class, it was Grover Cleveland, our 22nd and 24th president, who first earned that distinction. You can spot another curious thing about Monday’s Trump inauguration on the U.S. Capitol and on some state capitols. The American flags, which are supposed to be at half-staff won’t be at half-staff.

President Joe Biden ordered the flags on federal buildings lowered to half-staff on Dec. 29 for 30 days. That order came on the death of America’s 39th president, Jimmy Carter, who died at age 100.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday ordered flags be raised to full-staff on Monday for the Trump inauguration.

“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,” Johnson said in a statement. “The flags will be lowered back to half-staff the following day to continue honoring President Jimmy Carter.”

The move follows complaints from Trump himself. Just three days into the new year, Trump complained on his Truth Social platform that the flags would be lowered during his big day.

“The Democrats are all ‘giddy’ about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration,” Trump said. “They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don’t love our Country, they only think about themselves.”

Officially, it’s half-staff, not half-mast. But I digress.

Was anyone ‘celebrating’ the flags being at half-staff?

I don’t know of anyone who was “giddy” about the tribute to Carter continuing through Inauguration Day. Honestly, until Trump brought it up, the flags weren’t getting the notice. Carter’s legacy received all of the attention.

You can find plenty of negative things said about Carter’s presidency. While his foreign policy achieved a big win in the Middle East, domestic policy did not. But politics aside, you have to admire Carter’s work after he left office. He continued working for peace, democracy and human rights. He built houses with Habitat for Humanity at an age when most would expect him to have rested on his achievements.

Lowering the flags represented a show of respect. They weren’t a show of disrespect to anyone, including Trump. Every president deserves the same tribute.

Our incoming president, in claiming it was the Democrats who “only think about themselves,” made the flag tribute all about him.

GOP governors issue orders to raise the flag on Inauguration Day

Over the past few days, a handful of governors issued executive orders to raise the American and state flags on their states’ buildings for the inauguration. USA Today reported eight governors ordered the temporary raising of the flag. South Carolina’s governor issued such an order Wednesday afternoon.

At least in South Carolina’s case, the decision came based on an acknowledged “ambiguity” in the portion of the United States Code we know as “The Flag Code.” That code, which suggests that a 30-day tribute is appropriate, isn’t necessarily mandatory.

The South Carolina order states the Flag Code doesn’t deal with what to do when such a tribute includes Inauguration Day. It also points out that courts have ruled that a statute “may not cover every circumstance” and that legislatures might not have considered every situation.

It even cites another part of the U.S. Code that calls for displaying the American flag every day but “especially” on Inauguration Day. Well, flying the flag at half-staff is still displaying it. I don’t know how anyone could possibly argue otherwise.

But despite a Republican tradition that you shouldn’t assume powers laws don’t specifically grant, it looks like we assumed some power here. At least, they assumed them long enough to circumvent the tribute to Carter in favor of an honor for Trump.

When Monday rolls around, I don’t think most people will be worried about the flag. I think the 49.9% of voters who voted for Trump will be happy he’s getting a second term. The 48.6% of voters who cast a ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris, I expect, will be sad she’s not taking the oath.

I would like to think no one would focus that much on the height of the flag on such an occasion. But maybe that’s just me.

the authorPatrick
Patrick is a Christian with more than 30 years experience in professional writing, producing and marketing. His professional background also includes social media, reporting for broadcast television and the web, directing, videography and photography. He enjoys getting to know people over coffee and spending time with his dog.
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To me I see it as Trump’s narcissistic behavior… everything is about him.
I don’t think that the flags being at half staff was a problem, I don’t think anyone even thought of that until Trump mentioned it. Then it became like a loyalty test.
Are you a true believer?
In town a couple of MAGA and Tea Party member are flying their flag at full staff.

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