The White House confirmed Monday that the official state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter in Washington, DC, will take place on January 9. President Joe Biden declared January 9 as a National Day of Mourning following Carter’s passing at the age of 100. Biden praised Carter for his compassion, moral clarity, and dedication to various causes such as eradicating disease, advancing civil rights, and advocating for the marginalized.
Biden will deliver a eulogy at Carter’s funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral, where President-elect Donald Trump also plans to attend. The Washington National Cathedral highlighted Carter’s selflessness and humanitarian spirit as sources of inspiration for others.
Public observances in honor of Carter will be held in Atlanta and Washington, DC, before a private interment in Plains, Georgia, Carter’s hometown. Plans for Carter’s funeral arrangements include a motorcade through Plains and Atlanta, lying in repose at the Carter Center, lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda, and a final burial at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains.
Biden, who considers Carter a beloved friend, had been asked by Carter to deliver the eulogy. The upcoming funeral service is a moment for Biden to pay tribute to his longtime friend as his own presidency nears its end.
“It brings back an incredible amount of good memories,” Biden said, taking time from his St. Croix vacation to deliver the previously unscheduled speech. “America and the world, in my view, lost a remarkable leader. He was a statesman and humanitarian, and Jill and I lost a dear friend.”
The president, who said he’d been “hanging out with Jimmy Carter for more than 50 years,” said Carter “lived a life measured not by words, but by his deeds.” “To know his core, you need to know he never stopped being a Sunday school teacher at that Baptist school in Plains, Georgia,” he said.
Biden called Carter “just as courageous in his battle against cancer as he was in everything in his life,” and talked about how the illness had impacted both of their lives. “Cancer was a common bond between our two families, as in many other families, and our son, Beau, died – when he died, Jimmy and Rosalynn were there to help us heal,” Biden said.
The Bidens, the president recalled, “did (their) best to comfort him” when Carter himself was diagnosed. “We talked and he shared our beliefs that as a nation we have the talent and the resources to one day end cancer as we know it,” Biden said.
Biden told reporters he had spoken with all of Carter’s children and that his team was “working with his family and others to see to it that he’s remembered appropriately.”
An outpouring of love from around the world emerged as people celebrated Carter’s life as a humanitarian, faith leader, politician, and Navy veteran. World leaders, nonprofit organizations, military personnel, and politicians from across the aisle, especially in his home state of Georgia, honored his work in eradicating disease, brokering peace in the Middle East, advancing civil rights, and overseeing free and fair elections across the globe, with many of them highlighting his moral compass and sense of decency.
This story has been updated with additional developments. CNN’s Jack Forrest, Haley Talbot, and Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com.
