(NEXSTAR) — President Donald Trump has ordered flags to be lowered after the death of one of his closest allies, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Graham, 71, died Saturday night, according to a statement from his office. The preliminary findings from the medical examiner’s office suggest Graham died after a rupture in his aorta.
Trump, who talked to Graham frequently, said he was “like a member of the family. It’s very tough.” He said on NBC’s ”Meet the Press” that Graham had called him on Saturday night after returning from a trip to Ukraine and “sounded a little bit tired, but perfect.”
“In honor of the remarkable life and achievements” of Graham, Trump said Sunday that he has ordered “all American Flags throughout the United States lowered to Half Mast.” Flags are set to fly at half staff until 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 18, according to Trump.
Flying flags at half-staff is reserved for “when the whole nation is in mourning,” the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs explains.
A politician’s level of seniority impacts how long the flag typically flies at half staff. The longest possible period is 30 days, reserved for the death of a sitting or former president. We last saw this following the death of President Jimmy Carter in 2024.
For the sitting vice president, chief justice (current or retired) of the Supreme Court, or the sitting speaker of the house die, flags would be ordered to half-staff for 10 days from the day of death. For other officials – associate justices of the Supreme Court; a Cabinet member; a former vice president; the president pro tempore of the Senate; and majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate – flags are to fly at half-staff from the day of death until interment.
In April 2025, flags flew at half-staff for several days following the death of Pope Francis.
Per U.S. Code, when U.S. flags are to fly at half-staff, you should first hoist it “to the peak for an instant and then [lower it] to the half-staff position.” Before it is lowered for the day, it “should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day.”
