President-elect Donald Trump, who repeatedly mocked Jimmy Carter during his presidency and 2024 campaign, issued surprisingly warm statements following Carter’s death on Sunday, December 29, 2024, at age 100, marking a dramatic shift in his public stance toward the 39th president.
“We all owe him a debt of gratitude,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, praising Carter’s efforts to “improve the lives of all Americans.”
The conciliatory tone starkly contrasts Trump’s previous characterizations of Carter. In October 2024, on Carter’s 100th birthday, Trump derided him as “the forgotten president” and suggested Carter must be “the happiest man” because Biden’s presidency made Carter’s term look successful by comparison.
The relationship between the two presidents was contentious from early on. At a Carter Center event in Leesburg, Virginia in 2019, Carter claimed Russian interference had illegitimately won Trump the 2016 election. “There’s no doubt that the Russians did interfere in the election,” Carter said. “And I think the interference, although not yet quantified, if fully investigated would show that Trump didn’t actually win the election in 2016.”
Trump immediately responded at a G-20 summit press conference in Japan, calling Carter a “nice man” but a “terrible president” and “the forgotten president.” The criticism continued when Carter later stated at a September 2019 Carter Center town hall in Atlanta that a second Trump term would be “a disaster,” also expressing concerns about Trump’s age.
In his statements following Carter’s death, Trump acknowledged their differences while expressing respect: “While I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically, I realized that he truly loved and respected our Country and all it stands for.”
Trump added that Carter was “very consequential, far more than most Presidents, after he left the Oval Office,” acknowledging Carter’s extensive humanitarian work through the Carter Center and his efforts in global peace initiatives that earned him the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump’s reversal drew mixed reactions from his supporters. Some MAGA loyalists criticized his sympathetic tone, particularly regarding Carter’s decision to pardon Vietnam War draft dodgers. Several prominent supporters took to social media to remind followers of Carter’s economic policies during his presidency, which they claimed led to significant inflation and interest rate increases.
Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, expressed warm condolences, stating they were “thinking warmly of the Carter Family” and recognizing the “enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History.”
Carter’s death prompted responses from other former presidents and world leaders. President Biden ordered a state funeral in Washington, D.C., coinciding with the anticipated start of Trump’s second term. Biden, the first U.S. senator to endorse Carter’s 1976 presidential bid, maintained a close relationship with Carter throughout his life, visiting him shortly after taking office in 2021.
The state funeral arrangements highlight Carter’s lasting impact on American politics. Despite their political differences, Trump acknowledged that Carter’s post-presidency work in global health initiatives, including nearly eradicating Guinea worm disease and promoting democracy worldwide through election monitoring, set a new standard for former presidents’ humanitarian engagement.
