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President Biden addressed the nation on Sunday after the previous one Death of President Jimmy Carter, praising the late statesman, while during his speech he also brushed against the current president-elect.
Biden, who sounded hoarse during the speech, said he had “lost a dear friend” on Sunday, noting that he had known Carter for more than 50 years. Carter died in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 100, after spending nearly two years in hospice.
During his address, Biden said Carter was a model of “what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose, a life of principle, faith and humility.”
“Some are watching Jimmy Carter and see a man from a bygone era with integrity and character. Faith and humility were important, but I don’t believe that’s a bygone era,” Biden said. “It would be good if we all tried to be more like Jimmy Carter.”
JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEAD AT 100.
Biden criticized Donald Trump during a speech about Jimmy Carter’s legacy on Sunday. (Getty Images)
Biden said his fondest memory of Carter came in the 1970s when the then-Governor of Georgia asked Biden for help in his presidential campaign.
He grabbed my hand and said, ‘I need you to help me with my campaign,'” Biden recalled. “I said, ‘I’ve only been here a few years, Mr. Governor.’ He said, ‘No, it will make a difference.'”
I said, ‘I’m not sure he will,'” Biden added. “When I supported him for president, I told him why [I] he supported him and that it was not only his policy, but also his character, his decency, the honor he showed to everyone.”
LEGACY OF JIMMY, ROSALYNN CARTER HABITAT FOR HUMANITY WILL CONTINUE, ORGANIZATION SAYS
Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter and their children are pictured during the 1980 Democratic National Convention in New York. (Ron Galella)
When a reporter asked Biden what President-elect Trump should take from The Carter Legacy, Biden replied, “Decency.”
“Politeness, politeness, politeness. … Can you imagine Jimmy Carter walking past someone who needs something and just keep walking? Can you imagine Jimmy Carter telling someone by the way he looks or the way he talks?”
Biden’s speech came after Trump released his own statement about Carter’s death.
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Former President Jimmy Carter (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“Those of us who have been fortunate enough to serve as president understand that this is a very exclusive club and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the greatest nation in history,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a crucial time for our country, and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Trump later wrote that while he “strongly” disagreed with Carter philosophically and politically, he realized that the former president “truly loved and respected” the United States and all that it stands for.
“He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my utmost respect,” Trump said. “He was a truly good man and, of course, he will be greatly missed. He was also very consistent, far more so than most presidents, after he left the Oval Office.”
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
