Methuen joins Texas, California, and U.S. Capitol in raising flags to full-staff for Trump

At least one Massachusetts municipality will defy the governor’s order and tradition on Monday in raising their flags to full-staff to honor the inauguration of the 47th U.S. President.

Flags are currently lowered in accordance with tradition following the death of former President Jimmy Carter in late December. According to proclamation, flags are scheduled to be down through January 28, and during President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

That won’t be the case everywhere, however.

Methuen Mayor D.J. Beauregard informed the Herald that flags in his city will be raised “to full-staff from sunrise to sunset on Monday, January 20, Inauguration Day, and then lowered again to half-staff for the remainder of the 30 days of mourning for President Carter.” In doing so, Methuen will join several U.S. states and the House of Representatives in bucking the traditional 30-day period of mourning in favor of celebrating the incoming presidential administration.

Trump, after Carter’s death and President Joe Biden’s subsequent order to lower the flags, said that the “Democrats are all ‘giddy’ about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration.”

“Nobody wants to see this,” Trump wrote earlier this month.

House Speaker Mike Johnson last week responded by ordering the flags at the U.S. Capitol to their full height during Trump’s inauguration.

“On Jan. 20, 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,” Johnson said in a statement.

The Speaker joined several governors in making the change.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot seemed to be the first to take issue with the flags flying lower for Trump’s big day, and early last week said that the Lone Star State would use the occasion to celebrate. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong, and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee made the same announcement the following day.

“While we honor the service of a former President, we must also celebrate the service of an incoming President and the bright future ahead for the United States of America,” Abbott said.

California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat frequently at odds with Trump, also ordered state agencies to raise the colors to their full height on Monday, joining fellow Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, of Colorado.

“Governor Polis announced that flags will be raised to full-staff from sunrise to sunset on Monday, January 20, Inauguration Day, and then lowered again to half-staff for the remainder of the 30 days of mourning for President Carter, until January 28,” Polis’ office said in a release last week.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey joined other U.S. governors in lowering flags for Carter, but her office did not respond when asked if she would follow California’s example and raise them for Trump.

Herald wire services contributed.

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