Trump Orders Flags to Half-Staff in Tribute to Lindsey Graham

ByRichard Miniter

First Published: July 12, 2026, 9:05 AM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump ordered all American flags across the United States lowered to half-staff to honor Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican he called a dear friend and a truly great man.

The order directs that flags remain at half-staff until Saturday evening at 6 p.m., Trump said in the tribute. He praised Graham for what he achieved for the country and for his home state of South Carolina.

Here is the full post on Truth Social: “In honor of the remarkable life and achievements of Senator Lindsey Graham, a dear friend of mine, and a truly great man, who achieved so much for our Country, and his beloved Home State of South Carolina, I am ordering all American Flags throughout the United States lowered to Half Mast until Saturday evening at 6 P.M. GOD BLESS YOU LINDSEY! Trump” on July 12, 2026 at 12:53 PM ET.

Graham, a fixture of the Senate since 2003, represented South Carolina for more than two decades and became one of the chamber’s most recognizable voices on foreign policy and national security. He ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and later became a close ally of Trump, a relationship that defined much of his later career.

The president holds authority over the display of the U.S. flag under federal flag code, which permits lowering flags to half-staff to mark the death of a sitting member of Congress. Such orders typically run from the day of death through interment, and presidents have used the gesture to honor lawmakers, service members and public figures.

For the average American, the immediate effect is visible rather than material. Federal buildings, military installations, post offices and many state and local government facilities will lower their flags to comply with the order, a mourning custom recognized nationwide.

Has this happened before? It has. Presidents routinely order flags to half-staff for the deaths of senators and representatives, a practice the U.S. flag code codifies and administrations of both parties observe. The gesture ranks among the most common presidential mourning directives.

The next steps rest with congressional leaders and Graham’s home state of South Carolina, where funeral and memorial arrangements would be determined. Governor and Senate officials would set the schedule for services, and a date for those proceedings has not been announced.

Honoring a fallen lawmaker with lowered flags is a ritual older than the modern Senate itself. The half-staff tradition traces to the 17th century, when a British ship reportedly lowered its flag in 1612 to leave room for an invisible flag of death, a custom navies and nations later adopted (see britannica.com). The practice crossed into American usage and became formal protocol, marking the passing of figures from presidents to soldiers. It endures as one of the simplest and most public expressions of national grief.

Source: Zenger real-time database of all Truth Social posts.
Note: Chart generated on July 12, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET