President Donald Trump has tripped over critical words while making a heartfelt tribute to his foe-turned-friend Lindsey Graham.
The South Carolina Republican died on Saturday, two days after his 71st birthday, from an aortic dissection linked to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
While his office said Graham died after a “brief and sudden illness,” some Republicans are now calling for a toxicology report after growing MAGA conspiracy theories surrounding his shock death, the day after returning from meetings in Ukraine.
Trump, 80, initially posted on Truth Social at 3:21 a.m Sunday after hearing the news, writing, “Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead! He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”
In another post, he ordered “all American Flags throughout the United States lowered to Half Mast until Saturday evening at 6 P.M,” in honor of his “dear friend” and “truly great man” Graham.
In the White House on Monday, Trump again praised Graham, saying, “He was a friend to us all. He was a great guy. He was a great politician, actually.”
However, Trump stumbled over his words when describing his seven-day tribute to Graham.
“The flags are at hask, half-mask until Saturday evening, which is an extended period of time, you know, generally speaking, but I think he deserves it.”
It appeared that the president was attempting to say the White House flags were at half-mast, a term that refers to flags on ships or naval bases being lowered as a symbol of respect or mourning to honor individuals who have died.
Half-staff, which is also commonly interchanged with half-mast, refers to flags being lowered anywhere else, such as on civilian structures or other buildings on land.
Trump ordered flags at the White House, military posts, naval stations and other buildings to be flown at “half-staff” for four days after the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk last September.
Flags are lowered for 30 days at all federal buildings, grounds and naval vessels throughout the U.S. after the death of a president or former president. The period is 10 days after the death of a vice president.
After again mentioning he spoke to Graham shortly before his death, Trump on Monday said the senator, who had just returned home from Ukraine, “felt tired and but he felt fine. And then this horrible thing happened just a short time afterwards. So, it was terrible. I just want to pay our respects.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Trump’s flag flub follows a string of botched words and mistaken identities at the NATO summit in Turkey last week that put his cognitive health under the spotlight on the world stage.
The oldest president in U.S. history repeatedly referred to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin”; mixed up the Islamic Republic of Iran with the “Islamic Republic of Japan”; and confused the name of Obama’s “JCPOA” nuclear deal with another acronym, the “JCPOC.”
He then called the social media app TikTok “Tic Tac.”
In 2017, Trump said, “I’m very highly educated. I know words, I know the best words.”
