President Biden Pays Tribute to Jimmy Carter

The way I see it, America and the world lost an outstanding leader today. He was both a politician and a humanitarian. And Jill and I lost a dear friend. I’ve known Jimmy Carter for over 50 years, and I’ve noticed something. He used to tease me that when he ran for president in 1976, I was the first national figure to support him. But what I think is special about Jimmy Carter is that even if we never met him, millions of people around the world feel the same loss of a friend. That’s because Jimmy Carter lived a life measured by his actions, not his words. Look at his life, his life’s work. He worked to eradicate disease not only in the country but around the world. Jimmy Carter was brave in his fight against cancer, just as he was brave in every aspect of his life. Like many other families, our two families had a common bond: cancer. Then our son Beau passed away, and when he passed away, Jimmy and Rosalynn helped us heal. Jimmy was well aware of the horrors of this disease. We discussed and shared our belief that as a nation, we have the talent and resources to one day eradicate cancer as we know it, if we invest. He believed that, just like I did. We would all do well to strive to be a little more like Jimmy Carter. You know, my mother – you’ve heard me say this before – she said, “Courage lives in every heart, and someday it must be called upon.” ”He stepped up every time he was called.