6mo ago

Why are US flags being flown at half-staff on Inauguration Day?

President-elect Donald Trump has expressed frustration that flags will be flying at half-staff when he takes office later this month.

It’s an action put in place by President Joe Biden to honor the late President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at 100. It’s not a timeline that Trump can do anything about — until after he takes office.

Here’s what to know about why flags are lowered when a president dies, who can issue that order and how long the process lasts:

34 comments

Because the tradition and protocol indicates that when a former president dies, flags are lowered to half staff.
Dumbass Trump doesn't like it because it's not about him.
- I hope Carter's ghost brings bitter, freezing rain that lasts the whole of inauguration day.
  
  Blizzard and forces the whole thing to be cancelled.
  
  I hope, when Trump finally carks it, whoever is president orders the opposite of half staff. Whatever that is.
  (I'd say fly it upside down, except that's a sign of distress. Maybe fly it on it's long edge and backwards?)
  
  I hope it's a beautiful day. Clear blue skies. Mild temperatures. Lots of big expensive smiles on display. And then when it starts raining RPGs everyone gets mad at the weatherman for getting the forecast wrong and ruining an innocent stage packed with perfectly awful alleged humans.
- Dumbass Trump doesn't like it because it's not about him.
  I can't wait for the flags to be half staff because of him.
  
  Half staff is all he can reach anyway, even with assistance
  
  I'll got fireworks ready and a flag set to go full mast
- Dumbass Trump doesn't like it because it's not about him.
  And some of us will love to pretend that it IS about him, one last act of defiance by a dying democracy towards the people about to murder it.
- Yeah. The rule is for people who respect our country and aren't actively engaged in treason against it. Trump is incapable of comprehending it.
What a little bitch baby. It's like a kid that goes to a birthday party and throws a temper tantrum because everyone is paying attention to the other kid.
"It's not like anyone liked Jimmy Carter anyway," muttered Trump, as he walked home, his head lowered and kicking a can down the road.
Of course, Carter aside, I’d certainly say Trump taking office again is half-mast worthy, being a national tragedy.
I know this is tradition, but doesn't it usually only last a day or two? I don't know if this is a special case, or I've just never seen anyone keeping the flag at half-mast for the traditional length of time.
From the article it sounds like it's just set arbitrarily for up to 30 days. I really hope that means Biden set it to the full 30, just to fuck with Trump.
- doesn't it usually only last a day or two?
  From the article:
  U.S. flag code dictates that flags remain lowered for the 30-day period from the death of a former president. But that code isn’t mandatory, so once he becomes president, Trump could technically override it.
  So I gather the answer to your question is "yes, but also no".
  
  "Could technically" means he will, because he's a manbaby who must have his way and must have revenge if he doesn't. Even if the revenge is against a dead man.
“I’m the only thing that matters.” -Trump
If Trump wasn't an egotistical shithead he would use this to his advantage.
He could make a big show of it. Pretend to honour carter and the institution etc
But no, just like Covid, he prefers an own goal
So dumpty trumpty will just override that at the White House and all this is, is a bunch of bitching about Biden. What a whiny little fuck. Streisand Effect: Since it pisses him off, we as citizens can fly our own flags at half mast and he can't do a damn thing about it. Don't turn them upside down though because the maga nazis do that to support the orange cancer.
- Lol 80% of the country agrees to turn the flag upside down, even if they blame different things for the distress
  
  It would be appropriate, but my point was the neo-nazis have co-opted that symbol as a dog whistle. They like to ruin everything.
- For those that dont know, an upside down US flag means "country in distress"
Because sense and decorum are dead
why are they not at half mast for the terrorist attack that just happened in New Orleans?
Carter is a war criminal. Those people in NO were innocent.

34 comments