Trump declines mayor's request to lower flags in honor of Capital Gazette shooting victims

The mayor of Annapolis, Maryland, said on Monday he's "disappointed" that President Trump rejected his request to lower U.S. flags in memory of the five Capital Gazette newspaper employees shot and killed last week.

"Is there a cutoff for tragedy?" Mayor Gavin Buckley asked. "This was an attack on the press. It was an attack on freedom of speech. It's just as important as any other tragedy." After other mass shootings, including the Feb. 14 attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Trump has ordered flags lowered.

Buckley put in his request to the White House over the weekend, and told The Baltimore Sun he wanted to keep national attention on what happened in his town. He also said he was going to lower flags in Annapolis anyway, but his wife urged him not to do it. "At this point in time, it would start to polarize people and I don't want to make people angry," he said. On Friday, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) ordered the Maryland flag lowered in the state until Monday evening.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up