
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has ordered U.S. and Virginia flags to fly at full-staff on Monday, in honor of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.
The order makes Virginia the latest addition to a growing list of states that will not display flags at half-staff on Inauguration Day.
"In accordance with the authority vested in me as Governor and in accordance with federal law 4 U.S.C. § 6(d), I hereby order that the flags of the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Virginia are to be flown at full-staff on all state and local buildings and grounds in the Commonwealth in recognition of the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States," Youngkin said in an official statement on Saturday.
It's traditional for U.S. and state flags to be flown at half-staff for 30 days after the death of a U.S. President. It's part of the U.S. Flag Code, and was enacted via an order from President Joe Biden on Sunday, Dec. 29.
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.
Biden's order, put forth in honor of the death of former President Jimmy Carter, affects flags at federal government buildings and their grounds, as well as at U.S. embassies and other facilities abroad, including military installations and vessels
That's why U.S. and state flags across the country have been flown at half-staff for weeks now.
However, Trump has taken to social media in recent weeks to express his dismay at the idea that flags would still be at half-staff during his second inauguration.
“Democrats are all ‘giddy’” about the notion that flags will be lowered on Inauguration Day, Trump wrote Jan. 3 on social media.
“Nobody wants to see this,” Trump wrote. He added that “no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Quickly following those statements, Trump took control of the flags he could.
In the days following Carter's burial, a large U.S. flag at Trump's private Mar-a-Lago club was observed flying at its full height, despite an order from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that mirrored Biden's.
DeSantis has since put forth an order that would fly flags in Florida at full-staff on Jan. 20, during the inauguration.
Other states that have decided to fly flags at full-staff on Jan. 20 include Iowa, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Nebraska, Alabama, California and Colorado.
The U.S. Capitol will also raise flags to their full height on Inauguration Day, per an order from House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday.
That order means that Trump will not take the oath of office for his second term under a half-staff flag -- the prospect that he had previously complained about.
Youngkin, in his statement ordering flags to full-staff, said they "will be lowered back to half-staff the following day to continue honoring former President James Earl Carter, Jr. and remain at half-staff through January 28, 2025."
Expect to see flags in Virginia raised at 11 a.m. on Monday, and lowered again at sunrise on Tuesday.