Report: Obama sets record for half-staff flags

President Obama has ordered the nation’s flags to half-staff more than any other president, according to a Wednesday report.

Obama has issued a record 66 proclamations on lowering the flags at federal buildings since 2009, according to USA Today.

{mosads}Former President George W. Bush is second with 58 orders, while former President Bill Clinton ranks third with 50.

USA Today on Wednesday said Obama has spent nearly 6 percent of his presidency under a flag lowered to half-staff.

Obama’s total includes 14 proclamations honoring the victims of national tragedies, such as Sunday’s mass shooting in Orlando, Fla.

Such orders account for 79 days with flags flying at half-mast, USA Today added, more than half his 158-day total.

“The lowering of the flag in an order from the president of the United States is a symbolic expression of national mourning, and certainly is a way, symbolically, to demonstrate that the country is united in our support for a community that’s mourning,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday. “I think what we also see is that over the course of generations, that symbolism is expressed in different ways.”

Forty-nine people were killed and 53 others were injured when a gunman opened fire at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. Gunman Omar Mateen, 29, also died during a shootout with responding police officers.

USA Today on Wednesday reported Obama’s current proclamation lasts until sunset Thursday.

Proclamations have the force of law like executive orders, it added, but more often honor constituency groups or special events instead.

Earnest on Wednesday said the image evokes national resolve in the face of hardship.

“These kinds of tragedies we’ve encountered have prompted us to mourn, but they’ve not set us back. The kind of perseverance and resilience we’ve seen in those communities that have been scarred by violence have been an inspiration to all of us.”