Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday ordered all flags to be raised to full-staff at the Texas Capitol and all state buildings on Jan. 20, the day President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into office.
Flags across the U.S. are to fly at half-staff until late January to honor former President Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29.
"Texas continues to mourn with our fellow Americans across the country over the passing of former President Jimmy Carter," Abbott said in a statement. "President Carter's steadfast leadership left a lasting legacy that will be felt for generations to come, which together as a nation we honor by displaying flags at half-staff for 30 days.
"On January 20, our great nation will celebrate our democratic tradition of transferring power to a new President by inaugurating the 47th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. As we unite our country and usher in this new era of leadership, I ordered all flags to be raised to full-staff at the Texas Capitol and all state buildings for the inauguration of President Trump. 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."
Trump will be the first president inaugurated while U.S. flags are officially lowered in mourning, the El Paso Times reported.
The closest precedent occurred in 1973, when President Richard Nixon ordered flags lowered to honor former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who died just days after Nixon's second inauguration.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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