Washington governor orders flags at full staff for Trump inauguration despite Jimmy Carter mourning period
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, ordered flags to be flown at full staff on Monday for the president-elect. Donald Trump inauguration.
“I hereby order that the Washington state and United States flags on all state agency facilities be raised to full staff on Monday, January 20, 2025, in honor of Inauguration Day,” Ferguson said.
This, despite the official order of President Biden after the death of former President Jimmy Carter Dec. 29 that flags at all government and public buildings and grounds across the country are flown at half-mast for a 30-day mourning period, which coincidentally includes Inauguration Day.
It is tradition when a former president dies to declare 30 days of mourning and order flags to be flown at half-staff.
GOV. NEWSOM JOINS HANDFUL OF GOP GOVERNORS RAISING FLAGS AT FULL HIGH FOR TRUMP’S INAUGURATION
Governor-elect Bob Ferguson delivers his victory speech at the Washington State Democratic Election Night Party at the Seattle Convention Center on November 5, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Getty Images)
Biden said the American flag “should be flown at half-mast in the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, on all military and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the entire United States and its territories and possessions.”
Flags will return to half-staff in Washington state on Tuesday to continue a period of mourning for Carter.
“Flags are scheduled to return to half-staff at sunrise on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, and should remain at half-staff until the close of business hours or sunset on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, in continuing to honor the former president Jimmy Carter on the 30th day after his death,” Ferguson said.
Former President Jimmy Carter. (Photo via Emma Woodhead/Fox Digital)
Ferguson joins California Governor Gavin Newsom and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis as Democrats who broke with tradition and ordered flags to be flown for Trump’s inauguration before the end of the mourning period on January 28.
The following are the orders of Democratic governors several republicans who ordered the flags to be flown Monday included Idaho Gov. Brad Little, North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also ordered flags on the US Capitol to be flown at full staff on Inauguration Day.
Trump criticized the possibility of flying the flag at half-staff for his inauguration after Carter’s death.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Evan Vucci/AP)
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“Democrats are all ‘giddy’ over the prospect of our magnificent American flag being ‘half-staffed’ during my inauguration,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Jan. 3. “They think it’s so great, and they’re so happy about it because, They don’t really love our country, they only care about themselves.”
“Look at what they’ve done to our once GREAT America in the past four years – It’s a total mess! Anyway, because of the death of President Jimmy Carter, the flag can, for the first time ever, be at half-mast during the inauguration of a future president,” he continued. . “No one wants to see this and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Flags were flown at half-staff when former President Nixon was sworn in for his second term in 1973 after Nixon ordered the flags to be lowered following the death of former President Truman.
