By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-01-06 17:59:40 | Updated at 2025-01-08 01:42:28
1 day ago
Donald Trump has said the US flag should not fly at half-mast on his inauguration, despite it being a custom after the death of a former president.
President Joe Biden ordered the flags to be lowered for 30 days following the death of ex-US president Jimmy Carter on December 29.
However, this timing means that the flags will still be lowered on January 20 - the day of Trump’s inauguration.
Offended by the decision, Trump accused his rivals of being “giddy” about the flags being lowered, saying “no American can be happy about it”.
Trump said: “The Democrats are all ‘giddy’ about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration”
Reuters
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said: “The Democrats are all ‘giddy’ about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration.”
“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,” he added.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said the Biden Administration would not be reconsidering the decision.
The US flag code lays out a framework for lowering the flag to half-mast, including a 30-day period for current or former presidents to cover flags at federal government facilities as well as US embassies and military bases abroad.
State flags are also lowered during this time, due to the code stating that no flag should fly higher that the US flag on the same pole or nearby.
The code is not mandatory, so Trump could override the decision once he takes office.
Nixon also chose to raise flags before the 30-days were up - which had been lowered following the death of former US president Lyndon Johnson - to honour the first American prisoners of war released from Vietnam in 1973.
However this only lasted a day, and the flags went back to half-staff after.
Jimmy Carter's state funeral will be held on January 9
Getty
The flag controversy comes as six days of funeral observance for Carter began in Georgia, where the former president died.
Proceedings began with the Carter family arriving at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus.
Carter’s former secret service agents were pallbearers, walking alongside the hearse as it exited the facility on its way to Plains.
The motorcade moved through the area, arriving at the Carter Presidential Center on Saturday.
The state funeral will be held on January 9 and five former and sitting presidents are expected to attend.
Biden previously said Carter had asked him to deliver the eulogy at his funeral.
First Lady Jill Biden is expected to attend as well as Donald and Melania Trump, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama and George W and Laura Bush.
