One day after President Donald Trump was reported to have declined a request to fly U.S. flags at half-staff in honor of five staffers killed at a newspaper in Maryland's capital, Annapolis, he has ordered flags to be lowered.
Trump Tuesday issued a proclamation calling for all flags to be flown at half-staff through sunset Tuesday. Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley said Monday Trump initially turned down his request to lower the flags.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump decided to issue his order after he was made aware of Buckley's request.
"As soon as the president directly heard about the request made by the mayor, he asked that we reach out and verify that the mayor made the request. And when we did, the president asked that the flag be lowered immediately," Sanders told reporters at the White House.
Trump had ordered that flags be lowered following mass shootings, including the February massacre of 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and after the killing of 10 people in May at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas.
Trump has had a combative relationship with the media and repeatedly called journalists the "enemy of the American people." The day after the shooting, Trump said journalists should not fear being attacked while doing their job.
Four journalists and a staff member at the Capital Gazette were killed last Thursday by suspected gunman Jarrod Ramos, who held a long-standing grudge against the newspaper.
As a result of Trump's latest order, flags will be lowered at the White House, public buildings and military posts.
