Former President Jimmy Carter is paying close attention to the election cycle while in hospice care and grieving the loss of his wife, Rosalynn Carter, their son revealed in a recent interview.
“He does not believe Donald Trump should be president again,” James Earl “Chip” Carter III, the second child of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, told the Washington Post last week.
Carter, the longest-lived American president at 99, entered hospice care in February of last year, but he has remained committed to following the presidential election, his son said. Last month, the 39th president watched the speakers of the DNC, who gathered in Chicago in support of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s presidential campaign.
Carter’s son said the former president believed Harris’ speech was “great,” but noted another speaker stole the show.
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Former President Jimmy Carter discusses his cancer diagnosis during a press conference at the Carter Center on Aug. 20, 2015 in Atlanta. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)
“He thought Michelle Obama was the best, and he thought Kamala was great, too,” Chip Carter said.
Before the DNC kicked off last month and Carter diligently watched the speakers, he typically spent his days watching baseball games streamed on his TV, as well as 1950s TV shows, such as “Leave it to Beaver,” and eating mini red velvet and caramel flavored cupcakes, his family told the outlet.
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Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Carter watched President Biden officially drop out of the presidential race at the end of July amid mounting concern over Biden’s mental acuity and 81 years of age, his son told the outlet. Carter looked toward his son during Biden’s address and described the 46th president bowing out in favor of a younger Democratic generation taking the mantle as “sad,” the Washington Post reported.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris is embraced by President Biden during a campaign event at IBEW Local Union #5 on Sept. 2, 2024 in Pittsburgh. (Getty Images)
The former president is four-square against Trump securing a second term, his son explained, saying his father believes Trump is not truthful when he speaks publicly. Chip Carter added that voting for Harris on Nov. 5 is a priority for the former president.
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Carter will turn 100 on Oct. 1, with Chip Carter pushing back on speculation that his dad is staying alive to reach the milestone.
“He said he didn’t care about that. It’s just a birthday. He said he cared about voting for Kamala Harris.”
”He is big-time interested in this campaign,” Chip Carter added.
Married couple Rosalynn Carter and former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter, the Democratic presidential candidate, share a moment aboard his campaign plane. (Getty Images)
Carter suffered tragedy in November, when his wife of 77 years died after she was admitted to hospice care. Rosalynn Carter was 96 and surrounded by her family at their home in Plains, Georgia, when she died on a Sunday in November.
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“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” President Jimmy Carter said in a statement after her passing. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”
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Jimmy Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, told the Washington Post that the former president went through a “low period” after her death but has since perked up to discuss the election cycle.
“After my grandmother passed, he had a pretty long low period when he wasn’t really engaging much at all,” Jason Carter said. “But now he’s talking about politics again.”
Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn look on prior to the game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sept. 30, 2018 in Atlanta. (Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and his immediate family visited Rosalynn Carter’s grave on her birthday last month, where the former president sat silently at her headstone for about 20 minutes.
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“He was looking at her tombstone, and I started talking, and he told me to be quiet,” Chip Carter said. “No doubt he was praying, but he could have been just having a conversation with Mom.”
