Former US President Jimmy Carter, 98, is in “palliative care” at home, where he wants to “spend the time he has left” after a series of hospitalizations, his foundation said on Saturday.
He is the oldest surviving American president.
The former Democratic leader, who occupied the White House from 1977 to 1981, chose to stay at his home, surrounded by his loved ones, “rather than further medical intervention,” the Carter Center said in a statement.
The Carter family wishes to preserve their privacy, she said.
In a tweet on Saturday, her grandson, Jason Carter, said he saw his “both grandparents yesterday.” “They are at peace, and as always, their home is full of love,” he said.
Many elected officials hastened to salute the career of the president, elected to the White House in 1976, in an America still marked by the Watergate scandal which had pushed President Nixon to resign.
“You are a blessing to our country,” cheered Democratic Senator Tina Smith.
Jimmy Carter served only one term as president.
Craftsman of the Camp David agreements which led, in March 1979, to the signing of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, he had been strongly criticized in his country during the taking of American hostages in Iran in 1979-80.
After leaving the White House, Jimmy Carter founded The Carter Center in 1982 to promote development, health, and conflict resolution around the world.
A tireless traveler, he is found everywhere: in Mexico, Peru, Nicaragua, or even East Timor.
He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, in particular for “his decades of tireless efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts”.
The former tenant of the White House, who often speaks of his Christian faith, had already suffered from a series of health problems which had forced him to be hospitalized several times in 2019.
In the same year, he became the first American president in history to reach the age of 95.
Jimmy Carter was not present for Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony in January 2021, traditionally attended by former US presidents.
In 1976, Joe Biden, then a young senator from Delaware, was one of the first elected officials to support Jimmy Carter in his race for the presidency.
In April 2021, Jimmy Carter had received Joe Biden in his small hometown of Plains, in the State of Georgia, where he has lived since his departure from Washington.
The former head of state did not appear in front of journalists on this occasion, but his wife Rosalynn, who used a walker, was seen alongside the Biden couple.
Two months later, the Carter couple celebrated 75 years of marriage. The former president and his wife had met in 1945 through the Democrat’s little sister, who was then a student at the Naval Academy in Annapolis.
18/02/2023 23:15:31 – Washington (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
