Johnson says flags will be raised for Trump’s inauguration
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is going to order that the flags at the Capitol, which are at half-staff due to the death of former President Jimmy Carter, be raised for President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration -- defying a White House proclamation.
Leaving a GOP press conference Tuesday morning, Johnson nodded his head when asked if he would be raising the flags next week. He later confirmed his decision in a post on X.
"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," Johnson posted.
"We are less than a week away now from President Donald J. Trump taking the oath of office, and everyone is excited about that inauguration ceremony and all the events that go along with it," Johnson said during his weekly presser. "There's a lot going on, and we are continuing to work. Already, as you've heard, Congress has gotten a head start on implementing the 'America First' agenda."
The U.S. Code, written by Congress, says that the American flag "shall be flown" at half-staff for 30 days upon the death of a president or former president.
Trump has publicly fumed about the flags possibly not being raised.
"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," Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social earlier this month.
However, this would not be the first time the flags have flown at half-staff during a presidential inauguration. Former President Richard Nixon's 1973 inauguration occurred within the 30-day mourning period that followed the death of President Harry Truman, leading the flags to be flown at half-staff.
Earlier this month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House would not be reevaluating the decision to keep the flags at half-staff during the inauguration. ABC News reached out to the White House for comment following Johnson's statement.
Republican governors, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, have already announced that the flags in their states will be raised on Inauguration Day.
