President Joe Biden will meet with former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, during a swing through Georgia to celebrate his first 100 days in office, White House officials said.
What’s happening
Biden is set to visit Carter in his hometown of Plains in southwest Georgia during the trip on Thursday, which will also involve a drive-in rally at an unspecified location in metro Atlanta.
Biden and Carter have a long and fruitful relationship. Biden was a first-term U.S. senator from Delaware when Carter took office, and the Georgia Democrat said he was his first and most effective supporter in the upper chamber.
“For decades, he has been my loyal and dedicated friend,” Carter said during an emotional endorsement at the Democratic National Convention. “He understands that honesty and dignity are essential traits that determine not only our vision but our actions. More than ever, that’s what we need.”
About the Carters
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have endured the coronavirus pandemic mostly at their home in the southwest Georgia town of Plains, where they both grew up. The 96-year-old became the longest-living American president in March 2019, when he surpassed former President George H.W. Bush.
In recent years, Carter survived a melanoma diagnosis that later spread to his brain, forcing him to significantly cut back his public schedule. He’s also suffered several falls and other health scares that have required hospitalization.
Carter didn’t attend Biden’s inauguration, the first time he had missed the ceremony since his swearing-in in 1977. During his inaugural address, Biden said he spoke to the former president and saluted “his lifetime of service.”
