California Governor Gavin Newsom has instructed state officials to raise the U.S. flag at the state capitol to full staff on inauguration day as a tribute to Donald Trump.
The display height of U.S. flags has turned into a significant political topic following the passing of Jimmy Carter in December. Traditionally, state flags are flown at half-staff for a period of 30 days after a former U.S. president dies.
Nonetheless, several Republican governors have declared that they will deviate from this tradition on inauguration day, inspired by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who mandated that the U.S. Capitol flags be flown at full staff for the event.
Newsom’s choice to align with them may be interpreted as an effort to accommodate Trump, particularly as he seeks federal assistance in the midst of devastating wildfires that are ongoing.
Trump has previously expressed his dissatisfaction regarding the possibility of flags being displayed at half-staff during the inauguration on his Truth Social account, stating that “no American can be happy about it.” Subsequently, the flags at Mar-a-Lago were lifted back to full staff.
