One of President Donald Trump's first moves after being inaugurated Monday was to sign a slew of executive orders, including one mandating that American flags be flown at full-staff at all future presidential inaugurations.
RELATED STORY | Speaker Johnson orders flags at US Capitol be flown at full-staff for Trump inauguration
"By the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in honor of Inauguration Day and everything good and noble that it represents about our Nation, our people, and our form of Government, I hereby order that, on this and all future Inauguration Days, the flag of the United States shall be flown at full-staff," the proclamation reads.
"Accordingly, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at full-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government, in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions."
In December, former President Joe Biden ordered that flags across the nation be flown at half-staff for 30 days in honor of the late former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Dec. 29, 2024. The order was slated to run through Jan. 28 — which would've impacted Trump's inauguration.
RELATED STORY | Trump will issue executive orders to remake immigration policies
However, Trump expressed displeasure over the idea that he would take his second oath of office with flags at half-staff.
"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," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform earlier this month. "Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let's see how it plays out."
That's what prompted House Speaker Mike Johnson to go against the White House proclamation and order that flags at the U.S. Capitol be raised to their full height during Trump's inauguration.
Johnson said they would then be lowered back to half-staff the following day to continue honoring Carter.
