(CNN) – President Joe Biden congratulated former President Jimmy Carter on his 100th birthday, celebrating a predecessor whom he said he admired “very much.”
Calling the former president a “moral force for our nation and the world,” Biden described Carter as “a voice of courage, conviction, compassion and, above all, a dear friend” in a live-to-camera birthday greeting. with CBS News.
Carter, who has been in palliative care since February 2023, is the oldest president in US history. The Bidens have maintained close contact with the Carter family.
Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, said at the Democratic National Convention in August that his PawPaw was “hanging in there” 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 Management Agency. of Emergencies.
He defended the regulation of automobile emissions and the obligation to use seat belts and airbags in vehicles, a very unpopular policy at that time. Carter formally established diplomatic relations with China, designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday, and presided over major conservation efforts in Alaska.
Carter left office in 1981 as a one-term president amid criticism of his handling of the Iran hostage crisis.
Perhaps it is the actions following his presidency that have defined Carter’s legacy of service to others, including intense efforts in public health and democracy promotion abroad.
“Even after he left office, the moral clarity he displayed throughout his career manifested itself again in his commitment through the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity, resolving conflicts, promoting democracy, preventing disease, and much more.” Biden said in the birthday message, filmed in front of Carter’s presidential portrait on the State floor.
“In short, Mr. President, I admire you very much,” he added.
Biden was one of the first senators to support Carter’s presidential campaign in 1976.
“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 his ability to achieve our common goals,” Biden and Senator Birch Bayh wrote then in a joint letter.
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 down and talked about old times,” Biden told reporters after the visit, calling the Carters “old friends.”
