White House’s Flag Is No Longer at Half-Staff for John McCain

The flag at the White House was raised back to full-staff Monday morning, just hours after it had been briefly lowered to recognize the death of John McCain. The move breaks with a tradition that has normally seen sitting senators who die in office have flags lowered until burial—as well as the extraordinarily public disrespect shown by President Donald Trump toward his political enemy. The flag remains at half-staff at the Capitol following the Arizona Republican’s death Saturday. Trump has still not issued a proclamation on the death—previous proclamations called for flags to be flown at half-staff until the day of internment. Trump also reportedly vetoed a statement drafted by White House officials that praised McCain for his military service and labeled him a “hero.” McCain will lie in state in both the Arizona Capitol and the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday and Friday, respectively, before his burial in Annapolis on Sunday.