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By Jordan King
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Eight state governors have now said they will fly flags at full-staff for Donald Trump's Inauguration Day, along with the Capitol at Washington D. C.—before the end of the mourning period for late former President Jimmy Carter.
Flags around the country are currently flown at half-staff in honor of Carter who died on December 29 last year at the age of 100.
State governors for Florida, Alabama, North Dakota, Tennessee, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio and Texas have now said flags would be at full-staff for the inauguration and back to half-staff again the following day.
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Newsweek has contacted the Trump-Vance transition team, via email, for comment.
The Context
Under the U.S. Flag Code, flags are to be flown at half-staff for 30 days to honor current or former presidents. This directive applies to flags at federal buildings, U.S. embassies, military installations and vessels, both domestically and abroad.
What To Know
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is one of the latest to announce U.S. and state flags will be flown at full-staff on the day of Trump's inauguration ceremony, January 20. It follows the same decision by several other governors, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen.
DeSantis wrote in a statement shared to X on Tuesday: "Inauguration Day is an important tradition of our Republic where Americans come together to celebrate the peaceful transition of power between presidents. It represents a season of new hope and limitless potential for America's future.
"In light of the importance of this day, and on this patriotic occasion, I hereby order all flags to be raised to full-staff at the Florida Capitol and across all state buildings, installations, and grounds for the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump."
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Reynolds wrote in a statement: "On Monday, President Donald J. Trump will be officially sworn into office as the 47th President of the United States. Iowa will celebrate and recognize this historic change in our country's leadership by raising our flags."
On the same day, Pillen said: "The official installation of a president is a historic day in the calendar of our nation and should be recognized as such. Having the flag at full-staff symbolizes the respect to that office and our nation's newly elected leader."
The day before, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and Texas Governor Greg Abbott said they would do the same.
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson also said flags at the Capitol will fly at full-staff on Inauguration Day.
Trump wrote on Truth Social on January 3: "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. Look at what they've done to our once GREAT America over the past four years—It's a total mess!
"In any event, because of the death of President Jimmy Carter, the Flag may, for the first time ever during an Inauguration of a future President, be at half-mast.
"Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let's see how it plays out."
What People Are Saying
Ivey wrote in a statement posted to X: "On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, all flags at state buildings throughout Alabama will once again be lowered to half-staff to resume observance of the 30-day period of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter."
Abbott wrote on X: "Inauguration Day is a day of celebration for America. Today, I ordered flags raised to full-staff at the Texas Capitol & state buildings for President Trump's inauguration. While we honor President Carter's service, we also celebrate an incoming President & our bright future."
Johnson said: "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."
What Happens Next
Flags are meant to be flown at half-staff to honor Carter until Tuesday, January 28, meaning they will be lowered after Trump's inauguration and through the first week of Trump's second term.
Update 1/15/25, 8:20 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include Nebraska.
Update 1/17/25, 8:24 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include new states and an updated map.
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