Trump Orders Flags Lowered To Half-Staff In Memory Of Pope Francis

President Donald Trump ordered federal and state flags to fly at half-staff in memory of Pope Francis, who died Monday at the age of 88.

The executive order followed earlier condolences from both Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who briefly met with Francis on Easter Sunday at the Vatican.

“As a mark of respect for the memory of His Holiness Pope Francis, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, on the day of interment,” Trump wrote. “I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.”

Shortly after he signed the order, Trump appeared at the White House Easter Egg Roll, where he addressed the death of Francis.

“I just signed an executive order putting the flags of our country — all of them, all federal flags and state flags — at half-mast in honor of Pope Francis. He was a good man, worked hard. He loved the world.”

.@POTUS: "I just signed an executive order putting the flags of our country — all of them — at half-mast in honor of Pope Francis. He was a good man, worked hard. He loved the world." pic.twitter.com/v8YWFDJMOZ

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 21, 2025

Trump and Vance have cultivated a close relationship with Catholics, promising to crack down on “anti-Christian bias,” pointing to the increase in arson and vandalism surrounding Catholic churches as Roe v. Wade was overturned. During a February speech at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, Vance said that Trump, who is not Catholic, “has been an incredibly good president for Catholics in the United States of America.”

In recent months, Francis has attacked the Trump administration’s planned deportation of millions of illegal immigrants.

“I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations. The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality,” Francis wrote in a February letter to Catholic Bishops in the United States.

Those comments received pushback from Catholics inside the Trump administration, including border czar Tom Homan, who said that Francis should focus on the church instead of commenting on border policy.