Reactions to the death of former President Jimmy Carter paid tribute to his service to the country and his contributions around the world after his time in the White House.
President Joe Biden on Sunday issued a proclamation on Carter’s death, ordering American flags to be flown at half-mast for 30 days. He also marked Jan. 9, 2025, as a National Day of Mourning.
Earlier in the evening, he made a televised appearance from St. Croix, a part of the U.S. Virgin Islands where he and his family were spending the holidays, to remember the accomplished man both politically and personally, noting, “Jill and I lost a dear friend.”
However, he added, what he found most extraordinary about Carter was the fact that millions of people around the world currently shared that feeling — whether they’d met him or not.
“Cancer was a common bond between our two families,” Biden confided, and he said that they had shared the belief that America has “the talent and the resources to one day end cancer as we know it if we make the investments.”
Biden praised the renowned humanitarian for being a man of both word and deed, suggesting, “We should all do well to be a bit more like Jimmy Carter.”
On behalf of the nation, to Carter’s family, he said, “We send our whole heartfelt sympathies, in gratitude” for that life of service — both in the Oval Office and in the decades beyond.
In closing, Biden noted, of Carter being laid to rest: “I think he’s happy, and he’s happy with Rosie” — referencing Carter’s beloved late wife Rosalynn Carter, who died one year prior in November 2023.