White House flag flies high as Donald Trump disses John McCain Donald Trump gave Arizona Sen. John McCain no respect in life and now, none in death.

Laurie Roberts | The Republic | azcentral.com

Show Caption Hide Caption Hours later, White House flags are back to half-staff honoring McCain President Donald Trump ordered White House flags to be lowered back to half-staff for the late Senator John McCain after facing a growing public outcry.

Editor's note: Shortly after this column was published, the White House lowered the flag to half staff.

Can President Donald Trump get any smaller?

I wouldn’t have expected — or wanted to hear — effusive presidential praise for John McCain as he lay dying, given Trump’s hatred of the Arizona senator who dared to speak truth to power. (One of two, actually.)

I wouldn’t have expected Trump to thank a genuine American hero who understood, better than the rest of us, the sometimes-chilling requirements of duty and sacrifice, of freedom and honor.

But, really, would it kill the president of the United States to fly the U.S. flag above the White House at half-mast until McCain is laid to rest this weekend?

Other senators were honored longer

Yet there it is, the flag flying at full staff on Monday morning, not even 48 hours after McCain died.

I can only imagine the party atmosphere inside the Oval Office.

More on McCain: What I learned about John McCain during 20 years covering him

McCain the rebel: McCain wanted to 'raise hell' and leave it all on the field

On his legacy: John McCain, stormy and unchangeable, taught us to never give in to torture

Outside, however, in the real world, America is mourning a man the likes of which we we will not see again (unfortunately).

NBC News is reporting at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer have asked the Department of Defense to step in to ensure that McCain is given his due atop the people's house.

Sens. Schumer and McConnell request that the Dept. of Defense "provide necessary support so that U.S. flags on all government buildings remain at half mast through sunset on the day of Senator McCain's interment," Sen. Schumer's spokesperson says. — NBC News (@NBCNews) August 27, 2018

The flag must be at half-staff on all federal buildings, grounds and naval vessels in Washington, D.C., on the day of and the day after a senator dies, according to guidelines put out by the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

But other senators have been honored for longer periods of time and today, flags across Washington, D.C., remain at half-staff as America mourns.

Except for the White House.

What an extraordinary thing we are seeing, when Senate Republican and Democratic leaders must appeal to the military to try to ensure that an American hero gets his due.

Laurie Roberts is a columnist at The Arizona Republic, where this column first appeared. You can follow her on Twitter: @LaurieRoberts.