Trump orders the federal government to close on December 5 'as a mark of respect' for George H.W. Bush

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President Donald Trump talks about GM's decision to shutter some Us plants and lay off workers.

• President Donald Trump ordered all executive departments and federal agencies closed on December 5.
• In the order, Trump said the decision was meant "as a mark of respect for George Herbert Walker Bush, the forty-first President of the United States."
• Trump previously declared December 5 as a national day of mourning to honor the 41st president.
• Federal agencies were also shuttered to mark the deaths of former presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.

President Donald Trump ordered all executive departments and federal agencies closed on December 5.

In an executive order, Trump said the decision was meant "as a mark of respect for George Herbert Walker Bush, the forty-first President of the United States."

The order allows for certain offices to remain open to preserve national security and defense.

Former president George H.W. Bush died on Friday, November 30, at age 94. The White House said Trump and first lady Melania were notified of his passing overnight, and Saturday morning Trump declared December 5 a national day of mourning in honor of the 41st president.

A rare honor

In a statement announcing Bush's passing, Trump said he hoped people across the world would spend December 5 remembering Bush.

"I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President George H.W. Bush," Trump said in the statement. "I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance."

Days of mourning are a select honor usually reserved for former presidents. When Former President George W. Bush declared one for Gerald Ford's death in 2007, it was marked on the day of his January funeral at Washington's National Cathedral, closing the federal government and financial markets, as will happen for Bush on December 5.

Read more: Former US presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and more react to the death of former president George H.W. Bush

Federal agencies were also closed for Ronald Reagan's 2004 day of mourning, which George W. Bush ordered to take place on the day of his June funeral.

The White House also issued a presidential proclamation that the American flag will fly half-staff on all public buildings and grounds, military posts, and US embassies around the world for the next 30 days.

Congressional leaders announced Saturday that Bush would lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda from Monday, December 3 to Wednesday, December 5.

A state funeral will be held Washington National Cathedral, and the White House said the president and first lady will attend. More details are yet to come from the Bush family.