Amid the pomp of political transition, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has directed a symbolic gesture for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
According to Breitbart, Virginia's state flags will fly at full-staff on January 20, 2025, celebrating Trump's ascension, before lowering the next day in tribute to the late President Jimmy Carter.
This directive from Governor Youngkin specifies that both the American flag and the flag of the Commonwealth of Virginia are to be flown high across all state and local buildings and grounds. The full-staff position symbolizes a significant day in U.S. politics: the inauguration of Donald Trump as the nation's 47th president.
The day following the inauguration, the atmosphere of celebration will give way to one of mourning. Governor Youngkin has declared that flags will be lowered to half-staff at sunrise on January 21, 2025, to honor former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away in December at age 100.
In this period of national mourning, flags will remain at half-staff through January 28, 2025, a gesture reflecting the nation's respect and remembrance of President Carter's contributions.
Virginia's decision aligns with similar actions in other states. Governors Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Greg Abbott of Texas, and Ron DeSantis of Florida announced comparable flag statuses for the upcoming inauguration.
Additionally, Governors Bob Ferguson of Washington and Mike Kehoe of Missouri have also raised their state flags to full-staff for the event.
This collective action underscores the diverse political traditions and protocols observed across the states during times of presidential transitions and national mourning.
President Joe Biden had earlier decreed 30 days of half-staff flags across the U.S. following President Carter's death, encompassing all federal buildings, military posts, and U.S. diplomatic missions worldwide.
Here's Governor Glenn Youngkin expressing the intent behind these orders:
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. The flags 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.
President Joe Biden, when ordering the flags at half-staff, emphasized the nation's sorrow over the loss of President Carter:
Now, therefore, I, Joseph R. Biden Jr., President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, in honor and tribute to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr., and as an expression of public sorrow, do hereby direct that the flag of the United States 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. I also direct that, for the same length of time, the representatives of the United States in foreign countries shall make similar arrangements for the display of the flag at half-staff over their embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
This series of events, with flags flying high to welcome a new president and then dipping in respect for a past leader, encapsulates the solemnity and celebration inherent in American political life. Virginia, alongside other states, reflects on its role in these rites of democracy and commemoration.
The flags at full-staff celebrate the continuity and change of leadership, while their subsequent lowering reminds us of the leaders who have shaped the nation's past. The dual gestures of raising and lowering flags not only mark transitions in governance but also unite the public in reflection and respect.
