During a speech in St. Croix, President Joe Biden subtly criticized President-elect Donald Trump while reflecting on the life of former President Jimmy Carter. Biden hinted at Carter’s compassionate nature by questioning whether Trump would have the same empathetic responses in certain situations.
Biden reiterated several times that the 100-year-old Carter stood for ‘decency.’
Biden pondered whether Trump would ignore someone in need or make derogatory comments based on appearance or speech, contrasting this with Carter’s more empathetic approach. The remarks seemed to be a commentary on the need for leaders to display empathy and respect for all individuals.
‘I can’t, I can’t,’ Biden said.
During his almost 10 years in politics, Trump has frequently made fun of opponents, including the way they look and how they talk.
Trump’s mimicked Biden’s stutter on a number of occasions.
The President made these comments while on his traditional New Year’s vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands, emphasizing that Americans should consider emulating Carter’s more compassionate and respectful demeanor in today’s politically charged climate.
‘In today’s world some look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era, with honesty and character, faith and humility… But I don’t think it’s bygone era. I see a man not only of our time but for all times,’ Biden argued.
‘Someone who embodied the most fundamental human values we can never let slip away,’ Biden continued. ‘Although sometimes it seems like it is,’ he said as an aside.
The president spent nine minutes in front of the cameras, coughing as he got started.
He spoke about how Carter was a ‘statesman and humanitarian’ but also a good friend to Biden and the first lady.
‘I’ve been hanging out with Jimmy Carter for over 50 years it dawned on me,’ the 82-year-old president said.
‘I’ve always been proud to say, and he used to kid me about it, that I was the first national figure to endorse him in 1976 when he ran for president,’ Biden recalled.
Biden had entered the U.S. Senate, at age 30, four years earlier.
‘There was an overwhelming reason for it,’ Biden said of Carter endorsement. ‘His character.’
Carter would go on to win the White House in 1976 – but, like Biden, would only serve one term.
‘What I find extraordinary about Jimmy Carter though, is that millions of people around the world, all over the world, feel they lost a friend as well, even though they never met him,’ Biden stated. ‘And that’s because Jimmy Carter lived a life measured not by words but by his deeds.’
Biden spoke of Carter’s many accomplishments – a bulk of which occurred after his term in office – including helping eradicate disease around the world, advance civil rights and promote ‘free and fair elections around the world.’
He also called attention to Carter’s Habitat for Humanity work, building houses for the less fortunate.
‘He built housing for the homeless with his own hands,’ the president regaled.
Biden also spoke of an issue that tied the Biden and Carter families together: cancer.
‘Jimmy Carter was just as courageous in his battle against cancer as he was in everything in his life,’ the president said.
When Beau Biden, the president’s son, died of glioblastoma in 2015, Biden said that ‘Jimmy and Rosalynn were there to help us heel.’
‘Jimmy knew the ravages of the disease too well,’ the president continued. ‘He lost his father, his brother, his sister, to this terrible disease.’
‘So when Jimmy was diagnosed we did our best to comfort him,’ Biden recalled. ‘We met with him down in Plains, anyway,’ Biden said segueing, realizing he was going too in-depth on the subject.
Carter’s cancer battle also took place in 2015.
‘We talked and shared our beliefs that as a nation we have the talent, we have the talent and the resources to one day end cancer as we know it, if we make the investments,’ Biden said. ‘He believed that like I do.’
Biden said that the Carters had a ‘love affair for the ages.’
The former first lady died in November 2023, with Jimmy Carter making a final public appearance alongside other dignitaries – including every modern first lady – at the memorial service.
‘The one thing I admired most about him. … He really did believe this and I do as well, that everybody deserves an even shot. No guarantees, just a shot,’ Biden said. ‘Everybody deserves a shot.’
‘He gave an awful lot of people a chance,’ the president continued. ‘I was an admirer. I consider myself a friend.’
‘I think he’s happy, I think he’s happy with Rosalynn,’ Biden also offered.
The president confirmed that there would be a ‘major service’ for the Democrat in Washington, D.C.
There’s also expected to be a public service in Atlanta, Georgia, where the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.
It will likely mark Biden’s final time to host a major political gathering in Washington ahead of Trump’s January 20th inauguration.
