‘We lost a giant’: public figures pay tribute to Jimmy Carter

After news broke that Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, died on Sunday at 100 years old, many fellow politicians, friends, and family members spoke out in remembrance of the longest-lived president in US history.

Chip Carter, the former president’s son, called his father a “hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love”, in a statement.

“My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs,” he continued.

“The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

Carter’s grandson Jason, a former Georgia state senator and 2014 Democratic nominee for governor, posted on X a link to the Jason Isbell song Last of My Kind.

Joe Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden said in a joint statement that “the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” today.

Donald Trump wrote of Carter on Truth Social: “Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History.

“The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude. Melania and I are thinking warmly of the Carter Family and their loved ones during this difficult time. We urge everyone to keep them in their hearts and prayers.”

Georgia governor Brian Kemp praised Carter in a statement: “As the only American president thus far to come from Georgia, he showed the world the impact our state and its people have on the country. And as a son of Plains, he always valued Georgians and the virtues of our state, choosing to return to his rural home after his time in public office.”

The Atlanta mayor, Andre Dickens, said that Carter’s legacy will be remembered as “Georgia’s only President”.

“I was born into a state led by Governor Carter. When I learned the Pledge of Allegiance at Miles Elementary School, a photo of President Carter hung on the wall. And for the last four decades, I have watched Jimmy Carter and his beloved Rosalynn be the very definition of servant leaders, representing the best that our state and our nation have to offer,” Dickens said.

The former Georgia house of representatives minority leader Stacey Abrams called Carter “a giant who never saw anyone as smaller than himself” in a post on X.

“Whether at a Boys & Girls Club banquet or when he sponsored a medical clinic for the uninsured in his corner of rural Georgia, he lived James 2:17 each day,” she said. “Jimmy Carter built homes, saved lives and tended to souls. God bless President Carter, may the family he and Mrs. Carter raised know only comfort in these days of grief.”

The New York governor, Kathy Hochul, wrote on X that Carter “embodied decency and integrity throughout his life of public service”.

Former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton released a joint statement looked back on their history with Carter as “proud, early supporters” of his.

“I will always be proud to have presented the Medal of Freedom to him and Rosalynn in 1999, and to have worked with him in the years after he left the White House,” Bill Clinton said.

The US senator Brian Schatz celebrated Carter’s efforts to “protect the environment, expand clean energy, champion human rights, and advance Middle East peace” in a post on X.

The senator Mark R Warner said: “We lost a giant”.

“Jimmy Carter gave me my first job out of law school, and I have deeply admired his service since leaving the Oval Office,” Warner said in a statement. “His dedication to building homes through Habitat for Humanity has always brought back warm memories of my father, who also volunteered with the organization well into his eighties. Like much of the Greatest Generation, President Carter will be remembered by what he built and left behind for us – a model of service late into life, a tireless devotion to family and philanthropy, and a more peaceful world to call home.”

The Republican House majority leader, Steve Scalise, said he was “saluting President Carter” today “for his lifetime of service, first as a naval officer, then as a senator in the Georgia legislature, then as Governor of Georgia, and, finally, as President of the United States. Jimmy Carter set the standard for post-presidential service through his work with Habitat for Humanity.”

The US Senate majority whip, Dick Durbin, said that Carter “proved that excellence in public service can extend beyond the White House” and that “his life was an inspiration to those of us who aspire to lead a life of service”.

The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, said Carter was one of the United States’ “most humble and devoted public servants” who “personified the true meaning of leadership through service, through compassion, and through integrity”.

The US senator Mitch McConnell said Carter’s “character and commitment, just like his crops, were fruits of all-American soil”.

“After every season when life led him to lofty service far from home, he came back home again, determined to plow his unique experiences and influence into helping others; into building and teaching and volunteering; into further enriching the same rich soil that had made his own life possible,” he said in a statement.

In a post on his Substack, the journalist and commentator Dan Rather lauded Carter as a “a tireless advocate for peace, hope, and healing” who was “far ahead of his time on many issues, especially the environment”.

“Today we celebrate a life of service and mourn a leader who tried his best. He loved this nation. He cared for this world with unbounded empathy and heart. We are all better because he served. His was a life well lived,” Rather wrote.

In other posts on X, the former presidential hopeful Andrew Yang called Carter a “role model on so many levels” while the broadcaster Piers Morgan said he was “one of the wisest, smartest, most compassionate, modest, and human world leaders I’ve ever met”.

The official Empire State Building account on X also announced on Sunday evening that the building would “shine in Red White and Blue to honor the life and legacy of President Jimmy Carter” on Sunday night.

The Carter family’s official online condolence book launched shortly after news of the former president’s death made headlines. The commemorative site features Carter’s biography, historical photos and video.

The Department of Veterans Affairs will fly the American flag half-staff on inauguration day in honor of Carter’s life.