Jimmy Carter, the former US president who struggled with a bad economy and hostile crisis but went on to a long post-White House career, will be honored at a state funeral in Washington, DC, Thursday.
Democratic Co-President Joe Biden will praise the 39th president who died on December 29 at the age of 100. Biden, during his long career in the US Senate, was the first member of that chamber who endorsed Carter for president in the 1976 campaign.
President-elect Donald Trump, said Tuesday criticism of treaties signed by Carter while he will be president to give authority to Panama on the Panama Canal, he is expected to be present, as are former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Some world leaders and foreign dignitaries will also be present, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.
Carter lived longer than any other US president and had been under hospice care for nearly two years before his death. His last public appearance was at the funeral of his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023. At that service, Carter used a wheelchair and appeared frail.
After the state funeral, Carter's remains will be returned to his native Plains, Ga., where he lived in his 44 years after the White House and made a base of operations for his diplomatic work and efforts His charities include Habitat for Humanity.
'end of century'
Tens of thousands of Americans filed over the past two days through the US Capitol Rotunda to pay their respects to Carter, who served from 1977 to 1981 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his humanitarian work.
While waiting in the public viewing line outside the Capitol, Dorian DeHaan said her daughter married into the family of the president's younger sister, Ruth, giving her a chance to meet him. the former president in Plains.
“But it's a difficult time,” DeHaan, 67, said. “It's the end of an era and I think we've lost this real belief in humanity, in our president.”
Public viewing hours extended overnight and ended shortly before sunrise on Thursday. Afterward, an honor guard will carry his remains to Washington National Cathedral, which hosted the state funerals of Carter's predecessor, Gerald Ford, and his successor, Ronald Reagan.
Carter attended both of those funerals and eulogized Ford.
Two of Carter's grandchildren will speak during the service, and Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will be part of the band.
