Former President Jimmy Carter received fond birthday wishes Sunday from President Joe Biden, with the soon-to-depart White House octogenarian telling him, “Mr. President, I admire you so darn much.”
“Your hopeful vision of our country, your commitment to a better world, and your unwavering belief in the power of human goodness continues to be a guiding light for all of us,” Biden said in a birthday message released to CBS News.
The current president cited Carter, who was president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, as “one of the most influential statesmen in our history,” for his work both in high office and the years since.
“Even after you left office, the moral clarity you showed throughout your career showed through again in your commitment through the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity — resolving conflicts, advancing democracy, preventing disease, and so much more. It’s transforming the lives of people not only at home but around the world,” Biden said.
File/In this April 30, 2021, photo released by The White House, former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter pose for a photo with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the home of the Carter’s in Plains Ga. (Adam Schultz, The White House)
Biden noted his 1976 endorsement of Carter’s presidential campaign — the first nod of support Carter received from an elected official outside of his home state of Georgia.
“Mr. President, you’ve always been a moral force for our nation and the world. I recognized that as a young senator. That’s why I supported you so early. You’re a voice of courage, conviction, compassion, and most of all, a beloved friend of Jill and me and our family,” he said.
Carter’s 100th birthday Tuesday is the first without his longtime wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died in November 2023 at the age of 96.
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“We know this is the first birthday without Rosalynn. It’s bittersweet, but we also know she’s always with you. She’s in your heart; she’ll never go away. She may be gone, but she’s always going to be with you. She’s always there, and I know you know that,” Biden said in his message.
As Breitbart News reported, Biden revealed last year he has been personally chosen by Carter to deliver his memorial service eulogy when he dies.
“I spent time with Jimmy Carter, and it’s finally caught up with him, but they found a way to keep him going for a lot longer than they anticipated because they found a breakthrough,” Biden told guests at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser.
Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter accepts the support of Senator Joseph Biden, D-Del, at a news conference in the Sheraton Hotel in Madison. (Getty)
Carter served a single term and was defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980, a landslide loss that sent him on his way to his decades of global advocacy for democracy, public health and human rights via The Carter Center.
The former president and his late wife Rosalynn opened the center in 1982. His work there garnered a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.