Trump finally decides to lower White House flags to honor Capital Gazette shooting victims

UPDATE: July 3, 2018, 9:18 a.m. EDT On Tuesday morning, Trump ordered flags lowered until sunset on Tuesday evening to honor the victims of the shooting. In a statement released by the White House, Trump said, "Americans across the country are united in calling upon God to be with the victims and to bring aid and comfort to their families and friends."

There's still a bit of confusion as to the timeline of the decision. Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley said on Monday night his request for flags to be lowered was denied by the White House. 

But on Tuesday morning, CNN White House reporter Abby Phillip reported that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, "Last night, as soon as the President heard about the request from the Mayor he ordered the flags to be lowered."

In a follow-up tweet, Phillip indicated the decision came from the White House came only after the Capital Gazette reported on Trump's denial. This will surely not be the last we hear of this back and forth.

Our original story, published Monday night, is below.

President Trump declined a request to lower the American flag in memory of the five victims who died in a shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis last week, according to the publication.

Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley asked that the flags be lowered at federal government buildings, but his request was denied. Trump has ordered flags be lowered after other mass shootings. 

SEE ALSO: After Annapolis newsroom shooting, focus turns to Trump's media bashing

Trump, who has referred to the press as the "enemy of the people" multiple times in the past, said on Friday that journalists "should be free from the fear of being violently attacked while doing their job." 

But that doesn't mean journalists will receive his respect.

“Obviously, I’m disappointed, you know? … Is there a cutoff for tragedy?” Buckley told the Gazette. “This was an attack on the press. It was an attack on freedom of speech. It’s just as important as any other tragedy."

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan had the state's flags lowered on Friday through sunset on Monday. 

Trump has previously ordered the flag be lowered to half-staff following the death of Barbara Bush, the shooting at a Sante Fe High School, the Parkland high school shooting, and the Las Vegas shooting. 

UPDATE: July 3, 2018, 7:05 a.m. PDT A spokesperson for the city of Annapolis clarified the Gazette's reporting that the city's flags were not lowered, and provided Mashable an email showing City Manager Teresa Sutherland ordered them lowered on Friday. 

"What the Mayor said is that he was tempted to lower the AMERICAN flag himself in the City locations, but his wife talked him out of it," the spokesperson wrote in an email. 

"Only the President of the United States can order the U.S. flag to fly at half staff, so please raise the US flag to full staff," the email from Sutherland on Friday reads.

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