Donald Trump Orders Federal Flags To Fly Half-Staff To Honor Rep. John Lewis
As we previously reported, congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis died at the age of 80 on Friday.
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Following the sad news, many politicians, celebrities, and world leaders have taken to social media to pay homage to him. Shockingly, President Donald Trump even spoke out on his passing via Twitter saying, “Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing. Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family.”
Trump also issued an order Saturday morning for flags on all federal buildings to be flown half-staff. He issued a proclamation that stated that the act was “a mark of respect for the memory and longstanding public service” of Lewis. It instructed military bases, naval ships, embassies, and federal offices around the world to lower their flags for the remainder of the day.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) earlier Saturday had also ordered flags at the U.S. Capitol to be flown at half-staff, according to her deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill.
Rep. John R. Lewis fought for racial justice when he began in the Jim Crow south. He carved his place in history with a lengthy career advocating for civil rights, from being beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., on “Bloody Sunday” to serving a total of 17 terms representing an Atlanta-area district in Congress. Lewis had been battling pancreatic cancer since December. He will be greatly missed.
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