President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered that flags on all federal buildings and national monuments be lowered to half-staff as the Memorial Day weekend begins. The decree is to honor the nearly 95,000 Americans who have died from the coronavirus.
The president made the announcement on Twitter.
The decision to honor victims of the disease marks a change for the president, who previously has not shown much empathy for them, preferring to spend public briefings praising himself and attacking others.
The flags will remain lowered on Memorial Day in order to honor men and women in the military “who have made the Ultimate Sacrifice for our Nation.”
In a rare show of bipartisanship, the presidential campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden supported the president’s decision — with faint praise.
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