Speaker Johnson Orders Flags at Capitol Raised for Trump’s Inauguration

Washington, D.C.: So, House Speaker Mike Johnson just made a big move. He ordered that the flags at the U.S. Capitol be raised to full height for Trump’s inauguration. This comes after a 30-day period where flags were lowered due to the passing of former President Jimmy Carter.

Now, Trump won’t be taking the oath of office under a half-staff flag, which he had previously complained about. It’s interesting because some Republican governors have also decided to raise flags in their states for the same occasion.

For instance, Alabama’s Governor Kay Ivey announced that flags would be back up on Inauguration Day, but they’ll be lowered again on January 21 to honor Carter. Texas Governor Greg Abbott did something similar just a day before.

The flag-lowering order was initially set by President Biden and affects flags at federal buildings and U.S. embassies worldwide. It runs through January 28, which includes Trump’s inauguration and his first week in office.

Trump has been vocal about his displeasure with the idea of flags being at half-staff when he takes the oath. He might even reverse Biden’s order once he’s in office on January 20.

He expressed his thoughts on social media, saying Democrats seem “giddy” about the flags being lowered and that it’s not something Americans want to see.

Interestingly, Trump has already taken matters into his own hands at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, where a large U.S. flag was seen flying high, despite a similar order from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. As of now, DeSantis hasn’t changed his flag order.

The U.S. flag code does have specific rules about lowering flags for current or former presidents, including that 30-day period. It’s all pretty formal, but it’s definitely stirring up some conversation.