Donald Trump is not happy that United States flags will still be at half-staff in honor of Jimmy Carter when he is inaugurated later this month.
Expressing his opinion about the gesture honoring the former president, who died on Dec. 29 at 100, Trump, 78, shared a post on Truth Social on Friday, Jan. 3, writing that “nobody wants to see this.”
“The Democrats are all ‘giddy’ about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration,” the president-elect continued. “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,” he continued, “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. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Trump’s claim that his Jan. 20 inauguration “may” mark the first time flags have been flown at half-mast during a presidential inauguration is untrue — as it actually happened for the first time over 50 years ago at Richard Nixon’s second inauguration.
As Nixon took office in 1973, all flags on the Capitol were at half‐staff in memory of former President Harry S. Truman, who died the previous December, according to The New York Times.
Following the death of a president or a former president, the U.S. flag should be flown at half-staff for the subsequent 30 days at “all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels” across the country and its territories, according to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs.
The tradition was first instituted by former President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954.
Trump’s post about the gesture honoring Carter, who was the first U.S. president to live to 100, comes after the president-elect — who has previously publicly mocked the 39th president — said he plans to attend his funeral.
At a New Year’s Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 31, Trump told reporters that he had been invited to Carter’s funeral and will “be there.”
AP Photo
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Following the former president and humanitarian’s death, Trump was also among those who paid tribute. “I just heard of the news about the passing of President Jimmy Carter,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History.”
“The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans,” he continued. “For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Trump then added that he and his wife Melania Trump were “thinking warmly of the Carter Family and their loved ones during this difficult time. We urge everyone to keep them in their hearts and prayers.”
Carter will be remembered at funeral services in Georgia and Washington, D.C. between Jan. 4 and Jan. 9. He will then be buried at his home next to his late wife Rosalynn Carter, who died at age 96 in November 2023.
Read the full article here
