Heartfelt tributes are pouring in from world leaders celebrating the life and humanitarian achievements of James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr, the former US president, who has died aged 100.
Carter, a naval officer, Nobel Peace Prize winner and peanut farm operator who became the 39th president of the United States, died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday, December 29, according to his son.
He served as president for one term from 1977 to 1981, but is just as well-known for his humanitarian service after leaving Washington, DC, working for Habitat for Humanity and negotiating peace deals.
President-elect Donald Trump said Carter is owed a “debt of gratitude”, while President Joe Biden described Carter as a “dear friend”. Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle lauded Carter as “the longest, and most impactful, post-presidency in American history”.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised Carter’s “remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights” while King Charles III thanked the former president for “promoting peace”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the former president’s “heart stood firmly with us in our ongoing fight for freedom”. President Isaac Herzog of Israel called Carter “courageous and beloved”.
If I were an amputee, for instance, my prayer would not be to restore my leg but to help me make the best of my condition, and to be thankful for life and opportunities to be a blessing to others. At the moment, we are monitoring the status of my cancer, and my prayers about my own health are similar to this.
Biden declares National Day of Mourning to honor Carter
President Joe Biden has marked January 9, 2025, as a National Day of Mourning in honor of Jimmy Carter, who passed away on Sunday aged 100.
In a statement late on Sunday evening, Biden called on US citizens to assemble “in their respective places of worship” to pay homage to the former president.
The president has also scheduled a state funeral in Washington, DC, for Carter on January 9.
Previously, federal offices and stock markets have been closed during national days of mourning – including for former presidents Gerald Ford in 2006 and George H. W. Bush in 2018.
The president also declared that flags will be displayed at half-staff for 30 days from the day of Carter’s death at the White House, on public buildings and grounds, at military posts and naval stations.
Watch live: Outside Carter Presidential Center as former Nobel Peace Prize winner dies aged 100
Former UK Prime Minster Gordon Brown laments loss of ‘friend’ jimmy Carter
The former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has joined a chorus of political heavyweights in lamenting over the loss of Jimmy Carter.
“He is, and will be, mourned in every country and continent where civil liberties are valued and peace has proved elusive; revered as the leader who stood with all those who faced imprisonment, torture or persecution for defending democracy and human rights,” Brown wrote in an op-ed for The Guardian on Monday morning.
“Carter gave oppressed people hope. I was proud to learn from him and to count him and his wonderful wife, Rosalynn – who was also his closest adviser – as friends.”
Flags fly at half-staff near the Capitol
I realize that my physical strength and endurance are steadily declining, and I am having to learn how to conserve them, but I have found with relief and gratitude — even when facing the prospect of an early death from cancer in my liver and brain — that my faith as a Christian is still unwavering and sustaining.
Jimmy Carter’s grandson Jason breaks silence sharing touching cartoon on X
Did Jimmy Carter blow royal etiquette by kissing Queen Mother on the lips?
The late former US president Jimmy Carter was a relative novice at international diplomacy when made his first visit to the UK just four months into his term in the White House in 1977 – which resulted in him earning the displeasure of the Queen Mother after being said to have given her a parting kiss on the lips.
It was the year of Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee, marking her 25th year on the throne, and world leaders attending a G7 summit were invited for a state banquet in Buckingham Palace where they were to meet the Queen and other members of the Royal Family.
Photographs showed Mr Carter and the Queen Mother being all smiles as the president escorted her by her white-gloved hand to their places in a formal group portrait with the G7 leaders before dinner. But the evening would end with a short moment which would spark debate among British tabloids and the American media for decades afterwards, with the president accused of a total ignorance of royal protocol.
Alex Croft has the full story.
ICYMI: Trump, Biden and Obama pay tribute to ‘public servant’ Jimmy Carter after his death aged 100
Washington‘s political heavyweights paid tribute to former President Jimmy Carter after his death was announced on Sunday by his family.
The nation’s 39th president was renowned for his commitment to public service in the years after his exit from political life and earned a strong reputation for helping America’s neediest families in his post-presidential years.
After news of his passing was reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, tributes began to swiftly pour in for the 100-year-old statesman.
John Bowden has collated the tributes below.
Source: independent.co.uk