Nebraska and Iowa governors have issued orders on Tuesday, directing that flags at their respective state capitols be flown at full-staff on Monday, in honor of Donald Trump’s inauguration day.
Flags all over the country are currently flying at half-staff to mourn the passing of former President Jimmy Carter on December 29th.
“On Monday, President Donald J. Trump will be officially sworn into office as the 47th President of the United States,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said. “Iowa will celebrate and recognize this historic change in our country’s leadership by raising our flags.”
“The official installation of a President is a historic day in the calendar of our nation and should be recognized as such,” Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said. “Having the flag at full staff symbolizes the respect to that office and our nation’s newly elected leader.”
Flags in both states will be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings once more, starting from sunrise on January 21st until sunset on January 28th.
The governors issued their directives in response to Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s order that all Texas state buildings fly flags at full-staff on Inauguration Day, as reported by the Associated Press.
On Tuesday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson announced on X that the flags at the Capitol in Washington D.C. will be raised to full-staff for President-elect Trump’s inauguration.
According to the United States flag code, flags are usually flown at half-staff for a period of 30 days after the passing of a former president.
Flags were lowered to half-staff during the inauguration of Richard Nixon in 1973 to honor the passing of former President Harry S. Truman on December 26, 1972.
Nixon later instructed for flags to be hoisted ahead of schedule for a single day while mourning the passing of former President Lyndon B. Johnson. This was done to commemorate the release of the first American prisoners of war from Vietnam. The flags were then lowered the following day.