President Joe Biden offered a 100th birthday greeting to former President Jimmy Carter, celebrating a predecessor he said he admires “so darn much.”
Calling the former president a “moral force for our nation and the world,” Biden heralded Carter as “a voice of courage, conviction, compassion, and most of all, a beloved friend” in a direct-to-camera birthday greeting shared with CBS News.
Carter, who has been in hospice care since February 2023, is the oldest president in American history. The Bidens have remained in close touch with the Carter family.
Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, said at tge Democratic National Convention in August that his PawPaw was “holding on” for the November election.
“He is hopeful. And though his body may be weak tonight, his spirit is as strong as ever. My grandfather can’t wait to vote for Kamala Harris,” he said.
Carter, a Democrat, oversaw key milestones at home and abroad, including the Camp David Accords, a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel, and the creation of the Department of Energy, the Department of Education and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
He championed regulations on auto emissions and a seat belt and air bag requirement for vehicles, a very unpopular policy at the time. Carter formally established diplomatic relations with China, designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday and presided over significant conservation efforts in Alaska.
Carter left office a one-term president in 1981 amid criticism of his handling of the Iran hostage crisis.
It is perhaps the actions of his post-presidency that have defined Carter’s legacy of service to others, including intense public health efforts and the promotion of democracy abroad.
“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,” Biden said in the birthday message, filmed in front of Carter’s presidential portrait on the State Floor.
“Put simply, Mr. President, I admire you so darn much,” he added.
Biden was one of the first senators to endorse Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign.
“Being ‘right’ on the issues is not enough in 1976. Our nation and our party need a president who is not only right, but who has demonstrated ability to accomplish our common goals,” Biden and Sen. Birch Bayh wrote in a joint letter at the time.
Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden traveled to Plains, Georgia, to visit the Carters on the 100th day of Biden’s presidency in 2021.
“We sat and talked about the old days,” Biden told reporters after the visit, calling the Carters “old friends.”
