Joe Biden says Jimmy Carter has asked him to deliver his eulogy
- Biden talked about a ‘recent’ visit to the 98-year-old ex-president, who is under hospice care, then stopped himself from saying more
- The two have known each other since Biden was a young Delaware senator supporting Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign
US President Joe Biden says he plans to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of former president Jimmy Carter, who remains under hospice care at his home in south Georgia.
Biden told donors at a California fundraiser on Monday evening about his “recent” visit to see the 39th president, whom he has known since he was a young Delaware senator supporting Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign.
“He asked me to do his eulogy,” Biden said, before stopping himself from saying more. “Excuse me, I shouldn’t say that.”
Carter, who at 98 is the longest-lived US president, announced on February 18 that he would spend his remaining days at home receiving end-of-life care, forgoing further medical intervention after a series of short hospital stays.
The Carter Centre in Atlanta and the former president’s family members have not disclosed details of his condition, though Biden alluded to Carter’s 2015 cancer diagnosis and subsequent recovery.
“I spent time with Jimmy Carter and it’s finally caught up with him, but they found a way to keep him going for a lot longer than they anticipated because they found a breakthrough,” Biden said in Rancho Santa Fe, California.