President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden remembered former President Carter, who passed away on Sunday, as a “dear friend” who “saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe.”
“Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend,” Biden said in a Sunday afternoon statement.
“But what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well,” he continued.
Carter died peacefully on Sunday in Plains, Ga., according to the Carter Center.
He had turned 100 in October, making him the longest-lived president in the nation’s history.
The Carter Center announced on Feb. 18, 2023, that the former president had begun receiving hospice care after a series of short hospital stays, choosing to “spend his remaining time at home with his family” instead of receiving additional medical intervention.
Carter’s longevity was remarkable. He held the record as the oldest living former U.S. president and had survived numerous health scares in recent years.
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He lived to see his own vice president, Walter Mondale, die in 2021, and former President George H.W. Bush, who was the vice-presidential candidate.
Rosalynn Carter died on Nov. 19, 2023, at age 96, just days after she entered hospice care.
She had been diagnosed with dementia in March.
In his statement, Biden expressed gratitude to the Carter family for sharing them with America and the world.
He also encouraged young people to study Carter, “a man of principle, faith, and humility.”
“He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong,” Biden concluded.
