Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Tuesday that flags will fly at full-staff at the Capitol on the day of President-elect Trump’s inauguration and then will be lowered back to half-staff to honor the late President Jimmy Carter’s death last month.
“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. The flags will be lowered back to half-staff the following day to continue honoring President Jimmy Carter,” Johnson said in a statement.
President Biden ordered flags nationally to half-staff through sunset on Jan. 28, as part of the 30-day mourning period intended to honor Carter, who died Dec. 29 at the age of 100. The roughly monthlong period is reserved, per an Eisenhower-era proclamation, for a sitting or former president.
Trump earlier this month accused Democrats of being “giddy” that flags will be at half-staff for his inauguration in honor of Carter.
“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,” Trump said.
After his comments, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House would not consider reversing or reevaluating the half-mast plans.