
By Ed Malik, A | ed@ddnewsonline.com | posted January 20th, 2025
Today, January 20, 2025, Donald John Trump was sworn-in as 47th president of the United States of America. No surprise. But Democrat’s Gavin Newsom of California, unarguably one of his fiercest critics, understandably and with no love lost, self-resolved to honour him. Together with another blue state governor Jared Polis of Colorado, they directed their respective states to fly flags at full mast on Monday, aligning with Republican governors across the country to honor President-elect Donald Trump’s oath of office.
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After House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced on Tuesday that flags at the U.S. Capitol would be flown at full staff on Trump’s inauguration day and lowered to half-staff the following day to continue honoring Carter’s death, almost all the Republican governors bought the pitch, saying they will identify with the directive.
In their statements, many of the state leaders referenced a 1947 federal statute stating the flag should be displayed on several official and unofficial holidays, including Inauguration Day, it is however, unclear whether Georgia, former President Jimmy Carter’s home state led by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, will also catch the Trump’s inauguration ‘flagilization’ fever.
This year’s flag hoisting is a unique situation that’s unfolding because of the timing of the death of the late President Jimmy Carter. Whether or not flags are flying at half-staff or at full height on Inauguration Day in 2025 will depend on where you are and where those flags are located. But as of Monday, 30 states have announced plans to raise flags to full-staff for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Clearly, Gavin Newsom is the most prominent Democratic governor directing that American flags in his state fly full-staff for Donald Trump’s second Inauguration Day, in what could be an attempt to freeze the feud with the president, many observers said.
It will be recalled that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, on Friday January 17, 2024, that he will raise a Make American Great Again (MAGA) along with the U.S. flag at the governor’s mansion for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
The Republican governor issued a proclamation calling on residents to fly both flags in honor of the president-elect’s inauguration.
“Gone are the days of open borders. Gone are the days where Americans have to worry about gas and grocery prices while taxpayer dollars are shipped overseas,” Landry said in a statement.
“Today, under President Trump, begins a renaissance in this Nation. One where America and her people will always come first. In Louisiana, we think that is worthy of celebrating,” he added.
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Other Republican governors, including in Alabama, Florida, North Dakota, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Texas have also announced that they will fly U.S. flags at full height on Jan. 20 and lower them to half-staff the next day in honor of former President Jimmy Carter’s death, who died at the age of 100 late last month.
After Carter’s death on Dec. 29, 2024, President Joe Biden directed that U.S. flags “be displayed at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions for a period of 30 days from the day of his death.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Jan. 14 that flags will be raised full staff “at the Florida Capitol and across all state buildings, installations, and grounds” for the president-elect’s inauguration. The flag will then be lowered to half-staff on Jan. 21 to honor Carter’s death.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued a directive on Jan. 14 to raise U.S. and state flags to full staff on Trump’s inauguration day and re-lower them to half-staff at sunset.
“Idaho will recognize the swearing in of our 47th president, Donald Trump, by raising our flags on this momentous day,” Little said. “This is a historic transition in our nation’s leadership, and we will celebrate it.”
Trump stated on Truth Social earlier this month that Democrats are “all giddy” about U.S. flags potentially being flown at “half-mast” during his inauguration.
“Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it,” he stated.
Surprisingly deferring to the Speaker’s directive, Blue state Governor Newsom said California will temporarily raise the flags at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Monday, a move that aligns with Speaker Mike Johnson’s directive for full-staff flags to honor Trump in the U.S. Capitol and counters President Joe Biden’s order that all flags be lowered to half-staff for 30 days following former President Jimmy Carter’s death last month.
The flags at the U.S. Capitol and in Sacramento will be lowered again on Tuesday to finish out Carter’s mourning period.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is another leading Democratic governor who will be temporarily raising his state’s flags in the same fashion. Polis has welcomed many priorities of the incoming administration from deporting dangerous criminals to the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary, while opposing others like Trump’s proposals to raise tariffs.
Other blue states with nationally recognized governors including Illinois, New Jersey and New York, appear to be keeping their flags half-staff. And plenty of red states from Texas to Florida will raise their flags on Jan. 20.
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The full list of states raising flags for Trump’s inauguration includes Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa and Kentucky.
Other flag raising states are Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
However, as at press time, some of the states that have confirmed they’ll keep flags at half-staff on Jan. 20 or haven’t announced their plans include Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.
California’s buy-in to the symbolism of the new administration comes as tensions have been ratcheting up between Newsom and the president-elect. Trump has slammed Newsom for his response to the wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles, blaming the governor for the spread of the fires in a post on Truth Social.
“I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this,” Trump wrote, after referring to him as “Gavin Newscum.”
Newsom’s office shut down Trump’s claims, saying “The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need.” The pair have yet to connect by phone about the fires.
Trump and Newsom’s relationship has been sour for years. Trump previously threatened California’s federal disaster relief funding for political reasons, and Newsom has been gearing up to mount resistance in his state to Trump’s second term.
But now, Newsom may be using a flag as an olive branch.
Trump, who deeply values pomp and circumstance, previously chastised Democrats for being “giddy” at the prospect of flags being half-mast during his oath of office. “Nobody wants to see this,” he wrote on Truth Social.
After Johnson’s announcement that the flags would be raised, at least 18 Republican governors followed suit, publicly announcing they will fly American flags full-staff to honor the ceremony. In their statements, many of the state leaders referenced a 1947 federal statute stating the flag should be displayed on several official and unofficial holidays, including Inauguration Day.
Of the 12 Democrat-led states POLITICO contacted, five confirmed they will continue to follow Biden’s guidance of having flags at half-mast.
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That leaves Newsom as the most prominent Democrat in the country embracing Trump’s pomp and circumstance as he is set to regain control over federal disaster relief spending decisions — perhaps setting the tone of their relationship for the next four years.
“President Trump has an opportunity,” Newsom said in a video posted to his X account this week. “You’ll be elevated, Mr. President. At the end of the day, you’ll be the one we all go to and say thank you.”
NOTE: This report referenced Wire Agencies and may be updated.