President Joe Biden paid tribute to his “good friend” Jimmy Carter on the former president’s 100th birthday, calling him a “moral force” for the country.
“Happy 100th birthday,” Biden said in a video posted to the White House social media accounts. “You have always been a moral force for our nation and the world.”
You are one of the most influential stories in our history. Even after you left office, the moral clarity you showed throughout your career was present again, your commitment through the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity,’ he added.
‘Mister. President, I admire you very much and God continue to bless you: Mr. President and good friend,’ he said.
Biden, 81, spoke in front of Carter’s presidential portrait displayed in the White House. The video included footage of a young Joe Biden, then a senator from Delaware, in the Oval Office with President Carter.
President Joe Biden wishes Jimmy Carter a happy birthday
Biden was one of the first to endorse Carter when Carter ran in the Democratic presidential primary in 1976. He and Jill Biden remained close to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.
Additionally, the North Lawn of the White House features a display that includes the number ‘100’ with the message ‘Happy Birthday President Carter’ in honor of the 39th president.
The former president will spend his birthday at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he has been under hospice care for 19 months.
He is the first former president of the United States to live to be 100 years old.
Carter became an inspiration after his one term for his post-presidential work, when He became a Nobel Peace Prize-winning humanitarian and a defender of democracy.
He and Rosalynn founded the Carter Center in 1982 to “achieve peace, fight disease, and create hope.”
His grandson Jason Carter told him The New York Times that the former president “has truly reengaged with the world.”
He admitted that the family was worried about their patriarch following the death of Rosalynn Carter last year.
The last time Jimmy Carter was seen publicly was almost a year ago, using a reclining wheelchair to attend his wife’s funeral. He seemed severely diminished.
A sign wishing former President Jimmy Carter a happy 100th birthday stands on the North Lawn of the White House.
Then-President Jimmy Carter with then-Senator Joe Biden in 1978 in Wilmington, Delaware.
But, Jason Carter says, the former president has recovered.
“In these last few months, especially, he has become much more involved in world events, much more involved in politics, much more, emotionally, with all of us,” he told the Associated Press.
Carter likes listening to Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers Band and Garth Brooks. He’s also frustrated with the performance of the Atlanta Braves.
And what he’s looking forward to is Election Day so he can vote for Kamala Harris.
Jason Carter also said his grandfather, who has monitored elections around the world, appreciated Biden’s decision to step down as the Democratic presidential candidate.
“He, like many of us, was incredibly pleased by his friend Joe Biden’s brave decision to pass the torch,” he said. ‘You know, my grandfather and the Carter Center have observed over 100 elections in 40 other countries, right? That is why he knows how rare it is for someone who is a sitting president to renounce power in any context.
Jason Carter continued: “When we started asking him about his 100th birthday, he said he was excited to vote for Kamala Harris.”
He also revealed that Harris frequently calls to check on the former president.
Jimmy Carter was last seen in public in November at his wife Rosalynn’s funeral.
Jill Biden, Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter and Joe Biden together at the Carter home in Plains, Georgia, in April 2021
Carter’s hometown celebrates his birthday with a military aircraft flyover, a naturalization ceremony for 100 new citizens and a concert.
All former presidents were invited to contribute a video message, all except Donald Trump.
Trump used Carter as a punching bag to hit Biden before he dropped out of the race.
Carter will not attend the celebrations in person. He is bedridden and under the care of his sons and daughter.
“The caregiving aspect takes its toll, as it would in any family,” Jason Carter told the Times. “I think we’re all surprised to see it’s still going.”
“You know,” he added, “he may very well be immortal.”