BBC – Joe Biden and Donald Trump have led tributes to former US President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter, who has died aged 100.
Carter, who lived longer than any president in history, died on Sunday afternoon at his home in Plains, Georgia.
Biden described him as “a man of principle, faith and humility,” while Trump said all Americans owe Carter a “debt of gratitude”.
Carter rose from a peanut farmer to become president in 1977, before being forced out of the White House after just one four-year term when Ronald Reagan stormed to victory in the next election.
After leaving the White House with low approval ratings, his reputation was restored through humanitarian work which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian,” President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said in a statement.
“To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” they added.
“He showed that we are great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.”
President-elect Trump posted on Truth Social: “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.”
Trump previously mocked Carter’s single term on the campaign trail ahead of his victory in this year’s presidential election, and previously described him in 2019 as: “He’s a nice man. He was a terrible president.”
This came after Carter called Trump an “illegitimate president”, claiming he was helped into the White House by Russian interference in the 2016 election, something Moscow and Trump deny.
