Democratic-led states including New York and New Jersey have refused to lower flags to half-staff this week in honor of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The refusal is in defiance of a presidential proclamation issued by Donald Trump ordering the nationwide tribute following Kirk's killing.
The directive was signed Wednesday and instructed US flags on all federal property to remain at half-staff until Sunday evening in recognition of what Trump called Kirk's service as 'a truly Great American Patriot.'
While federal buildings in Washington, D.C. complied immediately, lowering flags at the White House and other agencies, the order was ignored by state governments in New York and New Jersey, where official flag guidance listed 'full staff' and no state-level order was issued.
That decision has drawn fierce backlash from conservatives, particularly in Bergen County, New Jersey, where local officials said they were simply following the state's daily flag protocol and not making a political statement.
