World News | Speaker Johnson Orders US Capitol Flags Raised to Full Height for Trump's Inauguration
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday ordered that flags at the US 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.
Washington, Jan 14 (AP) House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday ordered that flags at the US 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.
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 US embassies and other facilities abroad, including military installations and vessels.
It runs through January 28, which encompasses Trump's inauguration and first week in office. In line with Biden's order, governors throughout the country issued their own orders to govern flags in their respective states.
The incoming president has expressed consternation that flags would still be lowered when he takes the oath, and it's possible that he could order the overall reversal of Biden's decision once he's installed as president on January 20.
“Democrats are all giddy'” about the notion that flags will be lowered on Inauguration Day, Trump wrote January 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 US 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 US flag code lays out parameters for lowering the US 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 US embassies and other facilities abroad, including military installations and vessels. (AP)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)