Get the Ricochet app
Ricochet will work fine in a browser on your mobile devices, but for the best experience please download our app.
Over the last eight years, I’ve tolerated a lot from Donald Trump. But his latest complaint is truly pathetic. Instead of rising above a small disappointment—that the flag would still be flying at half-staff during his inauguration to acknowledge the passing of Jimmy Carter--he’s complaining about it. From what I can tell, he’s been upset about it for a couple of weeks.
Traditionally, the flag is flown at half-staff for 30 days, to recognize a president’s death. But poor Trump has taken that decision personally and protested the procedure:
‘The Democrats are all 'giddy' about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at 'half mast' during my Inauguration,’ Trump said in a post on Truth Social, incorrectly using the term that refers to flags being flown halfway up the mast on a ship, not a flag pole. ‘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.’
Excuse me? Who’s thinking about himself?
The fact is, we honor those who have passed away in our country. To interpret the lowering of the flag as a demonstration that people don’t love our country is petty and immature. Whether we liked Carter or not is not the issue. Would Trump have insisted on raising the flag if an honored Republican had died? Yes, he probably would have thought it distracted people from his shining moment.
Speaker Mike Johnson finally intervened to make this embarrassing and foolish demand go away:
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and some Republican governors are promising to fly flags at full-staff Monday after Trump repeatedly complained about them being lowered for his swearing in. Johnson announced Tuesday that flags at the Capitol will fly at full-staff for the inauguration and then return to half-staff the next day in honor of Carter.
I have news for you, Mr. Trump. Death is part of life. You should be especially sensitive to that after two assassination attempts on your life. You might just want to show a little compassion to the families and close friends of the Carter family.
Discussion (104)
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
Sounds like a good compromise. Maybe nobody considered this kind of overlap before.
If flags were at half-staff for some other reason when something great happened, such as perhaps the moon landing, or VE Day, I dunno, it also seems appropriate to raise them for (at least) a day, then lower them again.
I wouldn't even mind if flags were half-staff for some reason from the end of June up to July 3rd, then raised full for the 4th, and then lowered again.
MODERATOR
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
Let me offer a different take totally ignoring President Trump’s personality: There are two things America should routinely celebrate together — the Fourth of July and Inauguration Day. The former is obvious but the latter, reflecting the routine and peaceful transfer of power, is an extremely important and significant event. Have the fullness of American national pride on display is not trivial nor, in my opinion, optional. Ironically it is the glee of Democrats that the 30 days of mourning would fall across Inauguration Day, and their philosophy of diminishing national importance and pride, that makes me warm to Trump’s complaint and Speaker Johnson’s solution.
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
I wonder if the Democrats really gave it a whole lot of thought; Trump makes that assumption. They didn't choose when Carter died. I think, as I said, that Johnson just wanted the issue to go away.
MODERATOR
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
No, they didn’t. But have you noticed that it is a core competency of Democrats to exploit tragedies for political gain?
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
I expect the Dems would have wanted the flags raised if Kamala had won.
You're seeing five of 104 comments. Sign in, or join for just $5 per month, to read them all and add your own.