(Headline USA) California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined a handful of Republican governors this week in ordering his state to fly the U.S. flag at full height on Inauguration Day, despite President Joe Biden’s order to keep government flags at half-staff because of the death of former President Jimmy Carter.
Flags at the U.S. Capitol and state buildings across the country are expected to remain at half-mast for a 30-day mourning period following Carter’s death.
President-elect Donald Trump, however, has argued the flags should be returned to full height for his inauguration ceremony next Monday.
“The Democrats are all ‘giddy’ about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration,” Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this month. “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.”
He claimed his inauguration would be the “first time ever” the U.S. flags at the U.S. Capitol building would be flown at half-mast.
“Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it,” Trump added.
In response, several Republican officials, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, announced they would return their state buildings’ flags to full height before Inauguration Day.
Newsom is the first Democrat to join them in the decision.
The Democrat’s announcement comes just one week after Newsom rallied Democratic state legislatures to pass $50 million in funding to “Trump-proof” the state.
Newsom claimed the funding, passed during a special legislative session, was necessary to “safeguard California values and fundamental rights in the face of an incoming Trump administration.”
He immediately faced blowback from frustrated Californians, who argued Newsom should be focusing on “fire-proofing” the state instead.
“You’re talking about Trump this, Trump that. He’s not even president,” actor Michael Rapaport said last week. “Get the f*** out of here!”
