Washington, United States:
Donald Trump said Friday that “no American can be happy” that flags will be flown at half-mast when he is inaugurated this month, claiming Democrats are thrilled by the somber optics. President Joe Biden ordered the lowering of American flags on federal buildings and grounds for a customary 30 days in honor of the late President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at age 100 and will be buried in a state funeral next week.
For Trump, that means a shocking image of a nation in mourning on Jan. 20, as he stands on the steps of the Capitol to take the oath of office before returning to the White House in a remarkable comeback after his tumultuous first term.
The Republican posted an angry comment about the situation on his Truth Social platform.
“No one wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it,” Trump wrote.
He made a baseless accusation that Democrats are “all 'giddy' over the fact that our beautiful American flag may be flying at 'half-mast' during my inauguration.”
“They don't love our country, they only think about themselves,” Trump wrote, again without naming his targets.
Trump appeared to hint at the possibility of flags being ordered again for his big day, saying the half-staff “could” happen and ending with “let's see how it works out.”
But the White House put an end to any speculation.
Asked whether Biden's flag order could be reversed or reconsidered, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “No.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)