Joe Biden Asked to Deliver Jimmy Carter’s Eulogy
Former President Jimmy Carter, who is 98 years old and currently in hospice care at his home in Plains, Ga., has asked President Joe Biden to deliver his eulogy when he passes away.[0] This announcement was made by Biden during a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in Rancho Santa Fe, California on Monday.[1]
Biden and Carter have known each other since 1976 when the then-Senator was the first elected official outside of the Peach State to endorse Carter for president. Last year, Carter called Biden his “first and most effective supporter in the Senate” and “my loyal and dedicated friend” in his endorsement message for the current president.
The former president has been fighting health issues for some time now. In 2015, he announced four spots of cancer had spread to his brain and underwent treatment for it.[2] Despite the health scares, he was pronounced cancer-free in December of the same year.[2] However, he had to give up his decades-long tradition of teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.[3]
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said earlier this month that she couldn’t comment on whether or not Biden had spoken with the former president after he was admitted to hospice care.[4] She added that the two had a relationship that had spanned many decades.[4]
Biden was also discussing breakthroughs in cancer treatment and called for more funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) – an initiative he created last year to improve the government’s ability to speed biomedical and health research.[5] He was likely referring to Carter’s long battle with cancer.[2]
Last month, it was reported by The Carter Center that the ex-president had made the decision to begin receiving hospice care in his residence in Georgia.[3] The last time Biden visited Plains was in 2021, when he saw Carter there.[2]
It remains to be seen if Biden will honor Carter’s request and deliver his eulogy when the time comes.[6]
0. “Biden says Carter asked him to deliver his eulogy” UPI News, 14 Mar. 2023, https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/03/14/Biden-to-give-Carter-eulogy/9041678769995
1. “Biden accidentally reveals Jimmy Carter asked him to deliver his eulogy” New York Post , 14 Mar. 2023, https://nypost.com/2023/03/14/biden-accidentally-reveals-jimmy-carter-asked-him-to-deliver-his-eulogy/
2. “Jimmy Carter asked him to deliver his eulogy, Biden says” Northern Pen, 14 Mar. 2023, https://www.northernpen.ca/jimmy-carter-asked-him-to-deliver-his-eulogy-biden-says/
3. “Biden says Carter asked him to deliver his eulogy” KTVZ, 14 Mar. 2023, https://ktvz.com/news/2023/03/13/biden-says-carter-asked-him-to-deliver-his-eulogy/
4. “Joe Biden walks back comment about delivering Jimmy Carter’s ‘eulogy’ as he admits he ‘shouldn’t’ have made…” The US Sun, 14 Mar. 2023, https://www.the-sun.com/news/7623727/joe-biden-jimmy-carter-eulogy-comment/
5. “Biden says Jimmy Carter asked him to deliver his eulogy” Axios, 14 Mar. 2023, https://www.axios.com/2023/03/14/biden-jimmy-carter-eulogy-request
6. “President Biden accidentally shares detail about Jimmy Carter's health at private Democratic fundraiser” Fox News, 14 Mar. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/president-biden-accidentally-shares-detail-jimmy-carters-health-shouldnt-have-said-that
