On December 29, 2025, former president Jimmy Carter passed away. In keeping with both precedent and U.S. statute, President Biden ordered that flags fly at half-staff for thirty days. That thirty day period overlaps with the inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20, something Trump simply could not abide. On January 3 he posted on his Truth Social platform:
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.
Ignoring the fact that flags only fly at half-mast on a ship, this pathetic rant proves only to demonstrate that Donald Trump is the Whiner in Chief. He thinks of no one but himself and casts anyone and anything that gets in his way as un-American.
President Biden had no control over then Jimmy Carter died. And I cannot imagine even Donald Trump would have the audacity to suggest that Carter timed his own death to somehow cast a shadow over Trump’s inauguration. President Biden did not arbitrarily pick thirty days. As I said, that’s actually stated in U.S. Statute.
The United States Code, 2011 Edition, Title 4, Chapter 1—The Flag states the following:
The flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions for the period indicated upon the death of any of the following-designated officials or former officials of the United States:
(a) The President or a former President: for thirty days from the day of death.
This was signed by President Dwight Eisenhower when little Donald Trump was just eight years old. Surely no animosity toward Trump, or any presidential inauguration, was intended. And I dare anyone to suggest that Dwight Eisenhower didn’t love America.
Yesterday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson announced, “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.” Here’s the rub: Johnson has no authority to do that. But rather than display some semblance of a backbone, Johnson—who owes his continuation in the Speaker’s chair to support from Trump—kowtowed to Trump’s bullying and bluster.
Not only Johnson, though; as of today, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds—all Republicans—have announced that flags will fly at full staff in their states on the day of the inauguration, too. Like Johnson, they lack the authority to override the order of President Biden that flags will fly at half-staff for thirty days.
Stupidly, those governors are citing sections of the same federal statute in support of their position. Their arguments, however, demonstrate either a severe lack in reading comprehension skills or the presence of deluded legal counsel in their administrations. Maybe both. One section they have touted says this:
It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.
I’ve been a teacher for a long time. If I gave those two sentences to a student and asked them to explain them to me only to be told that it means that flags must fly at full-staff during presidential inaugurations I would promptly give the student an F. That section of the statute provides only for a longer-than-usual display of the flag; it says nothing whatsoever about the flag being at full- or half-staff.
The other section they’ve used says this:
The flag should be displayed on all days, especially on New Year’s Day, January 1; Inauguration Day, January 20; Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, third Monday in January; Lincoln’s Birthday, February 12; Washington’s Birthday, third Monday in February; Easter Sunday (variable); Mother’s Day, second Sunday in May; Armed Forces Day, third Saturday in May; Memorial Day (half-staff until noon), the last Monday in May; Flag Day, June 14; Father’s Day, third Sunday in June; Independence Day, July 4; National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, July 27; Labor Day, first Monday in September; Constitution Day, September 17; Columbus Day, second Monday in October; Navy Day, October 27; Veterans Day, November 11; Thanksgiving Day, fourth Thursday in November; Christmas Day, December 25; and such other days as may be proclaimed by the President of the United States; the birthdays of States (date of admission); and on State holidays.
You noticed, I am sure, that Inauguration Day is included. Fine. Of course flags should be displayed on Inauguration Day. But no where in that section is there any suggestion that flags must be displayed at full-staff on any of those days. And no one suggested that flags should be flown at full-staff on January 1 of this year, which was within the thirty days. Were the inauguration not falling on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday this year, I am sure no one would have suggested it for that day, either.
This is not about a desire to honor America. It is purely about Donald Trump’s narcissism and the desire of weak politicians—almost always Republican—to get, or stay, on Trump’s good side so that they do not face the recriminations that would otherwise come their way.
Congratulations, America. Next Monday we are returning to office the Whiner in Chief.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.
I realize that some people considered my post about the unconstitutionality of government restrictions on gatherings to be alarmist. We are in the midst of an unusual situation that calls for unusual measures in order to save lives, after all. Before I go on, let me clarify that at no time did I intend to suggest that all recommendations and guidelines should be ignored or that COVID-19 is a farce. I understand that the virus is real, I understand that there may be need for precautions and even extraordinary steps to be taken. At the same time, please realize that there are real, informed and legitimate differences of opinion on what those steps should be. Even more importantly, please realize that someone—namely, at the moment, me—can simultaneously value life, acknowledge the threat that is COVID-19 and still believe that the Constitution should not be violated. I happen to believe that constitutional protections are there for a reason and need to be protected even when they are most inconvenient.
THINKING OUT LOUD 