President Joe Biden said that former President Jimmy Carter asked him to offer his eulogy when he dies.
Biden quickly apologized, recognizing that he was not supposed to share the detail as Carter is currently in hospice care.
Biden says Carter asked him to do his eulogy https://t.co/1HpTeOFWwl pic.twitter.com/SBmOSnzTmt
— The Hill (@thehill) March 14, 2023
“I spent time with Jimmy Carter, and it’s finally caught up with him, but they found a way to keep him going for a lot longer than they anticipated because they found a breakthrough,” Biden said at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser.
“He asked me to do his eulogy,” he added.
The president then appeared to catch himself for sharing the information, saying, “Excuse me, I shouldn’t say that.”
“He asked me to do his eulogy -- excuse me, I shouldn’t say that,” Biden told supporters during remarks at a fundraiser.https://t.co/qBEL8Sllxk
— CNN (@CNN) March 14, 2023
"He faced a series of health scares in 2019 and consequentially underwent surgery to remove pressure on his brain. His health woes forced him to give up his decadeslong tradition of teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia," CNN reported.
"The Carter Center announced last month that the former president had decided to begin receiving hospice care at his home in Georgia," it added.
President Biden reveals that former President Carter, who entered hospice care at home last month after a series of hospital stays, asked him to deliver his eulogy. https://t.co/DSKx7KmcEj
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 14, 2023
Biden and Carter's relationship extends back decades ago when then Senator Biden endorsed Carter during his 1976 run.
"Carter and his wife recorded a video of their endorsement of Biden that aired during the 2020 Democratic National Convention. In the video, Carter said they have 'known and admired Joe and Jill for many years' and described Biden as his 'first and most effective supporter in the Senate,'" NBC News noted.
"Carter, 98, is the oldest living former American president and the first president born in a hospital," the outlet added.
Carter served one term in office, followed by Ronald Reagan who served two terms during the many changes in the 1980s. Carter has since remained active in many areas, including his Carter Center, his work with Habitat for Humanity, his local church, and various diplomatic efforts in the U.S. and worldwide over the past 40 years.