Gov. Kay Ivey is directing that flags on the grounds of the Alabama State Capitol Complex in Montgomery and at state buildings throughout Alabama be raised to their full height on Inauguration Day for President-elect Donald Trump.
This pauses a 30-day flag-lowering order following the death of former President Jimmy Carter.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is also ordering that flags at the U.S. Capitol be raised.
Trump will not take the oath of office for his second term under a half-staff flag, a prospect that he had previously complained about.
Both directives mirror actions taken in recent days by some Republican governors who have announced that flags in their states would be raised on Inauguration Day to mark Trump's second term.
The 30-day flag-lowering period, set into motion with President Joe Biden's order, 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.
It runs through Jan. 28, which encompasses Trump's inauguration and first week in office. In line with Biden's order, governors throughout the country issued their own orders to govern flags in their respective states.
The incoming president has expressed consternation that flags would still be lowered when he takes the oath, and it's possible that he could order the overall reversal of Biden's decision once he's installed as president on Jan. 20.
“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!”
The U.S. flag code lays out parameters for lowering the U.S. flag to half-staff, including a 30-day period for current or former presidents to cover flags at federal government buildings and their grounds, as well as at U.S. embassies and other facilities abroad, including military installations and vessels.
On Jan. 21, all flags at state buildings throughout Alabama will once again be lowered to half-staff to resume observance of the 30-day period of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter.
