A large-scale farewell ceremony will be held in Washington for the 39th US President Jimmy Carter, who died on Sunday at the age of 100. This was announced by the current President Joe Biden during a ten-minute speech broadcast on the White House website.
“We will organize a large ceremony in Washington on this occasion“, he said, expressing condolences to the members of the former head of state's family. Biden added that preparations for the farewell ceremony have already begun, and the time for its holding is being agreed with the former president's relatives.
When asked what the newly elected US President Donald Trump can learn from Carter, Biden replied: “Decency, decency, decency“. He added that Carter would never treat people in need with disdain or humiliate them because of their appearance. “Jimmy Carter exemplified what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose“, Biden said. He believes it is wrong to view Carter as a reflection of “a bygone era“. “I see a man not only of our time, but of all times“, the president said. According to him, “Today America and the whole world lost an outstanding leader, statesman and humanitarian“.
Trump and his wife Melania also expressed their condolences to Carter's family and loved ones. The new US president noted that Carter “did everything in his power to improve the lives of Americans“. "While I strongly disagreed with him on philosophical and political issues, I came to know that he truly loved and respected our country," Trump wrote on his Truth Social page. "He worked hard to make America a better place and I have great respect for him for that. Carter was a good man and will of course be greatly missed."
Jimmy Carter, who served as president from 1977 to 1981, died at the age of 100 on Sunday at his home in Georgia.
In a later written statement, Biden ordered flags on government buildings at home and abroad to be flown at half-staff in memory of the former American leader. “In honor of and in remembrance of former President James Earl Carter Jr., and as an expression of public grief, I am directing that flags of the United States be flown at half-staff at the White House and all government buildings and grounds for 30 days after the date of his death,” the order said. This also applies to all embassies, military bases and ships of the country. Thus, Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2025, will be held at half-staff. Biden also declared “January 9, 2025, a day of national mourning in the United States to honor” Carter.