Right on cue. We said this would happen the day Jimmy Carter passed. If there is one thing to be said about Donald Trump, it is that he is consistent and predictable. He’s also a narcissist and everything that happens in the world is about him. That includes Jimmy Carter passing away when he did (for which the rest of us thank God because if Jimmy had passed under a Trump regime, who knows if he would have been honored at all?) Trumpty is very dismayed and glum that the flags will fly at half mast. He revealed that today. The question is, will he be so classless as to raise them when he gets into the White House the afternoon of the 20th? It would not surprise me. I hope that cooler heads prevail but I’m pretty much expecting it.
It's as if President Carter passed at an inconvenient time for this criminal. He'll probably order the flag to be raised as soon as he's sworn in.
— Claire S🖤🩷🖤 (@SaintLaurant) January 3, 2025
That’s my take on it. I think Trump is so self-obsessed that he’ll put the kabash on the traditional mourning period for a president. Or, maybe he won’t. Maybe he’s got enough sense to realize that he’s not all that far away from the grave himself and maybe he would like the same courtesies extended to him when he’s in the grave as is being extended to Carter and his descendents.
But it doesn’t sound like it, does it? He’s pissed off. He knows that the symbolism is one that has been mocked and will continue to be mocked around the world because the half mast flags contain a double entendre. Yes, literally they’re at half mast due to Carter’s death. But figuratively, 1/2 of America mourns that Trump is coming back to Washington. Donald knows that’s how this is being pitched and he hates it. He hates being laughed at. He has said that himself. So maybe he will “show us” and raise the flags.
As I said the day that this issue about the flags arose, any other statesman would use this occasion to do a pitch for unity. Trump, during his inauguration speech, could join the mourning for Carter and also promise some brave new world of his own, his “golden age” and that would be the way to handle it, bring the end of one life and the beginning of a new presidency together with an image of hope.
But don’t expect anything like that to take place. Because Trump is all about show and self image. All he wants is for everything having to do with him in any way to be exactly the way he wants it. He is the poster child for self centeredness. And since that is his overriding characteristic, expect the flags to go up on Inauguration Day because the child in chief is pissed. I for one will be amazed if he has the restraint to leave well enough alone and just go to the balls, all that, and leave this one detail be, for the greater good.
*******
Friends, I am forced to self-promote and ask you for money. We had a bad year compared with 2023 and the end of the year has been catastrophic. Traffic died on November 5. We are a small blog and completely self-supporting by ad revenue, donations, and subscriptions. If you can afford a monthly subscription that would help us out. If you can make a small donation, likewise. Our only goal is to stay in business and give you the best content we can generate. Thank you. Ursula
No one will STOP him. He MUST “show the World,” he’s the MORE important.
That fascist traitorous PIG, placing his hand on the Bible to LIE once again in front of the world, is enough to radicalize any military veteran who lost brothers to enabled this phucking country to have the democracy WE USED TO HAVE. Those heroes paid for it IN BLOOD and YOU PHUCKERS ARE TAKING A PISS ON THEIR GRAVES!!! Phuck all of you. Good thing I don’t believe in guns…if I did…I’d reconsider my options. As it is…I’ll just sit back and listen to the hypocrisy you phuckers worship and hope you die soon of the avian flu…it’s coming and this time he’ll let another million die like he did last time! I’ve LOST ALL ALLEGIANCE AND RESPECT FOR YOU, MY FELLOW ‘citizens’. Phuck you traitors. Oh, and ALL you rich Democrats who have no intention of sacrificing ANYTHING to stand up to this Evil can also stick it up your privileged asses. Meanwhile…I sit and watch like a deadly viper…leave me be…or YOU WILL get what you least expect…someone who WILL fight back…and, unlike the democrats, IT’S NOT JUST TALK mutherfuckers. Joe…you, merrick and others are responsible for caring more about your phucking image than you did stopping this dictator. Phuck you too asshole.
Of course, with Trump’s lack of knowledge about American history, he “misspoke” about there never having been an inauguration under a flag at half mast. When Truman died in office, Nixon was sworn in under a half mast flag. Another Republican criminal. Look how that eventually turned out. We were a smarter people back then.
No Trump fan here which if you read any of my stuff you know. However you have your fact mixed up. When FDR died Truman assumed office but with the war still not won there was no inaugural. I’m sure flags were already at half-mast when he got the news and was brought in to be sworn in, in a private ceremony. He finished out FDR’s term then ran for and won his own. He could have run again in 1952 but chose not to as Korea had turned into a stalemante and people were all in a huff over his firing McCarthur who bore most of the responsibbility for the size of the mess. Truman returned to Missouri and died there some fifteen years later. He did have some thoughts about Nixon though – none of them good. LBJ of course was in Texas with JFK when he was assassinated and again I’m sure flags were already being half masted by the time everyone was on the plane to fly Johnson, JFK’s body and Jackie Kennedy back to DC and HE was sworn in. Like Truman he finished out someone else’s term then won one in his own right. Due to the disaster the Vietnam war turned into LBJ, who could have run again chose not to. (He too was no fan of Nixon and didn’t trust him – with good reason we learned) Nixon beat Humphrey and had a regular inauguration with the flags flying high. Given how things turned out half mast would have been appropriate however!
For once Trump might be correct in this being the first inaguration with the nation being in an officialy prescribed period of mourning and the flags at half mast. Fuck Trump. The flag should remain that way until HE is gone from that office.
No, he is wrong. Truman died in office and Nixon was sworn in under a half mast flag. But though evil, Nixon wasn’t a huge sissy and it didn’t bother him at all. He allowed the nation to mourn.
Stephanie, you’re mistaken and you’re only digging yourself into a deeper hole with your error.
Truman did NOT “die in office” (which is how your comment is coming off). He chose not to run for reelection in 1952 although he could have as he was exempted from the terms of the 22nd Amendment (the second half of Section 1 reads “But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term”)
I truly believe what you MEANT to write was “Truman died while Nixon was in office and Nixon renewed his Presidential oath under a half staff flag” (nitpick but “half mast” technically applies only to ships which have masts; on land, the proper term is “half staff”). Or, your original comment SHOULD have read as:
“When Truman died while Nixon was preparing for his second term in office, Nixon took the Presidential Oath under a half-staff flag.”
When a President does actually die IN OFFICE, the Vice-President (or whoever is the next eligible and available officer) is IMMEDIATELY sworn in (or, as “immediately” as possible) with little pomp and circumstance and absolutely NONE of the ceremony that accompanies a standard inauguration. The newly-installed President can–and most likely would–then order flags to fly at half-staff for the typical 30 days as his first official act as President.
simply fly flags upside down now only mourning but for ultimate distress,
I can totally see snotty, pouty, POS tRump raising the flags in spite. That would be so totally like him, a mean, spiteful five-year old, being a jackass, lashing out and flaunting his ‘power’. At least we’ll have had some time to honor and respect Jimmy Carter before lardass taints the White House again. God, I’m so dreading these next few months, years.
Carter said.he wanted to live long enough to vote for Kamala. He loathed Trump. And Trump despised him for daring to criticize him.
I won’t be surprised if he DOES raise the flags on 1/20. It’s the sort of petty he he loves. He is insisting on attending Jimmy’s funeral though. If I were Amy Carter I would ban him.