Former President Jimmy Carter celebrates his 100th birthday next month, but even though the ailing Democrat has been in a hospice for 18 months, he’s turning his attention to politics and the 2024 election.
The 99-year-old’s son, James Earl ‘Chip’ Carter III, was interviewed by The Washington Post in which he told how his father spent part of his time watching all the speeches from last month’s Democratic National Convention.
Carter did not attend the Chicago convention, but he was the oldest Democratic delegate, and his family recorded all the speeches for him.
“He thought Michelle Obama was the best, and he thought Kamala was great too,” said Carter’s 74-year-old son Chip.
Former President Jimmy Carter turns 100 on October 1. His family told The Washington Post that he cares more about reaching his birthday than voting for Kamala Harris.
The former president wasn’t the only one to praise the former First Lady’s speech last month. Her scathing rebuke of former President Donald Trump on the second night of the convention was one of the most talked about speeches of the entire event.
Carter turns 100 on October 1. Although his health has continued to decline following the death of his wife Rosalynn in November, his family said the 99-year-old is talking more as his birthday approaches. He asks about the campaign and is “happy” with Kamala Harris’ momentum.
According to his son Chip, it’s especially important for the former president to make it to his birthday, even though he has a number of events planned, but it’s another monumental occasion.
The younger Carter told The Washington Post what his father did when he was told that some people thought he wanted to stay alive to make it to his big birthday.
‘He said he didn’t care. It’s just a birthday. He said he did care to vote for Kamala Harris,” he said.
Kamala Harris campaigns in New Hampshire on September 4, 2024. Former President Jimmy Carter is enjoying her momentum in the presidential race, according to his family.
Carter thought former First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech at the convention was the best. She gave a stunning rebuke of former President Donald Trump when she took the stage on Night Two on August 20, 2024
According to the Carter family, the 39th president can’t wait to vote by mail for the vice president.
“He doesn’t believe Donald Trump should be president again,” Chip Carter said.
Georgia is one of the biggest battlegrounds of the 2024 election season. According to the Real Clear Politics average, Harris has a 0.1 percentage point lead over rival Donald Trump. President Biden won the state by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020.
Carter also shared with The Washington Post his father’s reaction to Biden’s decision not to seek a second term this summer.
According to Chip, the former president turned to him as he heard the 81-year-old announce he would not seek re-election and said softly, “That’s sad.”
Biden and Carter, besides being Democratic presidents, have something else in common: they both served only one term as commander in chief.