California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will order U.S. flags to be raised to full-staff on Inauguration Day as President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office.
Newsom joins Republican governors around the country who have said that U.S. flags in their states will be raised to full-staff for the inauguration. Izzy Gardon, a spokesman for Newsom, confirmed to the Associated Press on Wednesday that the governor will direct the raising of the American flags on Monday.
Following the death of former President Jimmy Carter on December 29, U.S. flags will fly at half-staff for 30 days. Republican Governors Ron DeSantis (FL), Greg Abbott (TX), Kay Ivey (AL), Bill Lee (TN), Kim Reynolds (IA), and Kelly Armstrong (ND) announced earlier this week that U.S. flags in their states will be raised on January 20 and then lowered again to half-staff on January 21. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) also ordered U.S. flags at the Capitol to be raised on Inauguration Day.
Earlier this month, Trump said, “Nobody wants to see” the American flag at half-staff during the inauguration, adding, “no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out.” The president-elect also blasted Democrats who he said were “giddy about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration.”
“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!” he wrote on Truth Social.
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Newsom’s decision to join Republican politicians in ordering flags to be raised to full-staff comes as he faces intense criticism from Republicans, including Trump, on his handling of the state’s wildfire prevention after fires erupted across Southern California last week.
Last week, Trump accused Newsom of refusing “to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.” Newsom shot back, saying Trump’s criticisms are “incomprehensible to anyone that understands water policy in the state,” NBC News reported.
