President Biden ordered American flags across the country to be flown at half-staff as part of a national mourning period following the death of former president Jimmy Carter in late December. But Donald Trump, who has already loudly criticized the order for interfering with his inauguration next week, is now visibly showing his displeasure with it.
The Associated Press reports that U.S. flags at Mar-a-Lago have been seen flying at full staff after initially being lowered in the wake of Carter’s death. According to the outlet, the flag was raised following Carter’s Georgia burial last week.
On Biden’s orders, flags at the White House, military outposts, and public buildings are to be flown at half-staff for 30 days after Carter’s death on December 29. This would provide a less-than-favorable backdrop for Trump as he is sworn in for his second term on January 20. In a Truth Social post from earlier this month, Trump lashed out at the regulations, claiming that Democrats were “giddy” about the fact that the flag would be lowered during the inauguration. “Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it,” he wrote.
Beyond the issue of timing, Trump and Carter were hardly best buds. In 2019, Carter suggested in public remarks that Trump’s 2016 presidential victory was the result of Russia meddling in the election. Trump returned fire by calling him a “terrible president.” Trump was more gracious in his official statement upon Carter’s death, writing, “He was a truly good man and, of course, will be greatly missed.”
Trump has a history of flag-meddling. In 2018, the Trump White House was criticized after it quickly raised the American flag following the death of former Arizona senator John McCain, whose military service Trump had frequently denigrated. The flag was relowered amid the backlash.
Perhaps in solidarity with the president-elect, Trump ally Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, announced on Monday that he would be ordering all flags at the Texas Capitol and other state buildings to be raised on January 20. “While we honor the service of a former President, we must also celebrate the service of an incoming President and the bright future ahead for the United States of America,” he said in a statement.
