Speaker Orders US Capitol Flags at Full Height, Ignites Political Debate 

Speaker Orders US Capitol Flags at Full Height, Ignites Political Debate 
Speaker Orders US Capitol Flags at Full Height, Ignites Political Debate 

United States: House Speaker Mike Johnson directed that the US Capitol flags be flown at full height on Inauguration Day on Tuesday, canceling a thirty-day flag-lowering order after the demise of former President Jimmy Carter. 

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The move by the Republican leader is that President-elect Trump, who will not take the oath of his second term, has to do so under a flag half-staff, a situation he once complained about. 

That mirrors actions taken in recent days by some Republican governors who stated that flags in their states would be raised on inauguration day for Trump’s second term. 

What more do officials state? 

North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds did this on Tuesday, adding in proclamations that US flags across their states would be lowered again on January 21 in memory of Carter, AP News reported. 

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson of Louisiana. Credit | AP
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson of Louisiana. Credit | AP

On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott also sent out a similar notice. 

The flag-lowering period of thirty days upon the initiation of the order from President Joe Biden applies to federal facilities and their compounds, US diplomatic missions and offices overseas, military bases, and ships. 

It runs through January 28, including Trump’s inauguration and his first week as president. 

As per Biden’s order, governors all over the country released their own orders regarding flags in their states. 

The incoming president has raised eyebrows, wondering why flags would still be lowered when he is sworn into power, and he might also overturn Biden’s order in general once he assumes the presidency on January 20. 

Trump wrote on January 3 on Social media that “Democrats are all ‘giddy'” about the notion that flags will be lowered on Inauguration Day. 

https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1879322609411563675

Furthermore, Trump wrote, “Nobody wants to see this,” according to AP News. 

“No American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he added. 

Moreover, Trump has already taken action over the flags, which are in his control, at his home in Florida. 

After Carter’s burial, a giant US flag could be observed already at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club, flying at its full height, despite an order from DeSantis that mirrors Biden’s. 

The US flag code provides guidelines on how the US flag is to be flown and, hence, how to lower the US flag with a recommended 30 days during the current or former president period for flags of the federal government and its installations overseas in embassies and other buildings, including military and naval stations.