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ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered that flags at state buildings will be raised to full-staff for the day of president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.
Flags have been flown at half-staff since former president Jimmy Carter's death on Dec. 29. President Joe Biden ordered flags to be at half-staff at federal government buildings and their grounds, as well as at U.S. embassies and other facilities abroad, including military installations and vessels, for 30 days following Carter's death, which is a tradition when a former president dies. Biden's order runs through Jan. 28, which encompasses Trump’s inauguration and first week in office.
In line with Biden’s order, governors throughout the country issued their own orders to govern flags in their respective states. Now, DeSantis joins other Republican governors who will break protocol and fly flags at full height before the end of the 30-day mourning period.
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday also ordered that flags at the U.S. Capitol would be raised to their full height on Inauguration Day. Flags were already flying at full height at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate days after Carter's funeral.
Gov. DeSantis orders flags at full-staff on Inauguration Day
What we know:
On Tuesday, Gov. DeSantis ordered that all flags at the Florida Capitol and across all state buildings, installations, and grounds will be raised to full-staff on Jan. 20, 2025.
Donald Trump will be sworn in for his second term as president in Washington D.C. on that Monday.
The president-elect has spoken out against the idea of flags being at half-staff for his inauguration.
READ MORE: Guide to 2025 Presidential Inauguration
"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 wrote on Truth Social on Jan. 3. "Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
What they're saying:
"On this unique occasion, where we simultaneously celebrate the service of an incoming president and commend the service of a former president, our nation's flag will be prominently displayed at full-staffto honor the tradition of our founding fathers and the sacrifices made by those who have served to ensure the torch of liberty continues to bum strong," wrote Gov. DeSantis in this flag order issued on Tuesday. "The following day, on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, all flags at state buildings, installations, and grounds across the State of Florida will once again be lowered to half-staff to honor President Carter's service."
Why are US flags at half-staff?
The backstory:
On Dec. 29, 2024, President Joe Biden ordered flags at the White House, all public buildings and grounds, military posts and naval stations and naval vessels to be flown at half-staff in honor of the life of former president Jimmy Carter.
Under the president's order, flags would be flown at half-staff for 30 days, until Jan. 28, 2025.
U.S. flag code dictates that flags will remain lowered for 30 days after the death of a former president.
That would include Jan. 20, the day of Mr. Trump's inauguration.
Have flags been flown at half-staff on Inauguration Day before?
Dig deeper:
Flags were flown at half-staff when Richard Nixon was sworn-in for his second term in 1973.
Nixon had ordered the flags to be lowered after the death of former President Harry Truman.
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The Source: Information in this article comes from the Office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, president-elect Donald Trump's Truth Social account, a proclamation from President Joe Biden, KTBC-TV, and the Associated Press.