It’s fair to say that there’s only been one president in history who would complain about the flags being at half-mast at his inauguration, on the occasion of the recent death of a past U.S. president.
Donald Trump did just last week, ranting on Truth Social about Democrats being “giddy” that flags would be at half-mast. President Biden had announced the flags would be lowered for 30 days following the passing of the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter. Carter died on December 29, which would keep them lowered through January 29, which is after Trump’s 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,” Trump said on his platform. It’s not clear who those supposedly “giddy” Democrats are.
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Trump has never, at any point, indicated that he would raise the flags just for his inauguration, and after all, he won’t technically be president until noon on January 20, so he wouldn’t have the power to do so anyway.
There’s been a separate controversy, involving a Trump-allied politician refusing to lower the flags, although he’s now backed down.
Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman, per The Daily Beast, had originally not lowered the flags on the occasion of Carter’s death. But this week, Blakeman released a statement, announcing that “the flags in Nassau County will be at half-staff for President Carter from the commencement of Lying in State on January 7th through burial on January 9th.” That means, however, that the flags will be be back at full mast in time for January 20, Trump’s inauguration day.
The flags in Nassau County will be at half-staff for President Carter from the commencement of Lying in State on January 7th through burial on January 9th. pic.twitter.com/tkzs0IXF0X
— Bruce Blakeman (@NassauExec) January 5, 2025
Per CBS News, Blakeman has not publicly addressed the initital decision to not lower the flags.
“Politics shouldn’t play into this right now. This should be about what’s right for a person who represented our country, who guided our country and then served our country when they were done as president, and it’s the right thing to do,” Seth Koslow, a Democratic New York legislator, told CBS News.
Blakeman is the politician who, in 2024, once held Trump’s umbrella while he spoke to the media:
Trump makes Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County Executive, hold his umbrella as he delivers statement to media pic.twitter.com/bzf8SKXNLk
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) March 28, 2024
A lawyer who was formerly a commissioner for the New York-New Jersey Port Authority and Nassau County legislator, Blakeman was elected Nassau County executive in 2021, defeating a Democratic incumbent. His brother, Brad Blakeman, was a figure in the “Brooks Brothers riot” in 2000, and later served in the Bush White House.
Photo courtesy of the Poliitcal Tribune media library.
