Former Democratic President Jimmy Carter — and his wife Rosalynn — will not be attending President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. According to ABC News, the former president’s announcement came on Jan. 5, 2021. This is the first time since Carter has been president and has not been present for an inauguration.
In 1977, he was sworn into office as the United States 39th president. According to The Carter Center in Atlanta, he and his wife have sent their “best wishes” to Biden. They “look forward to a successful administration.”
During Carter’s time as president, Biden was a young senator from Delaware. Biden was an ally for Carter during his term in the White House.
Both Carter and his wife were born and raised in Plains, Georgia. He was born on Oct. 1, 1924. She was born on Aug. 18, 1927. They were married in 1946. The couple has four children together — Amy, Jack, James, and Donnel.
Biden will have at least one former president at his inauguration. Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura will be in attendance on Jan. 20, 2021. According to Freddy Ford, spokesman for the Bush’s, “President and Mrs. Bush look forward to returning to the Capitol for the swearing-in of President Biden and Vice President Harris.”
The announcement from the Bush’s came the same day as Carter’s. The Bush family was in attendance when Donald Trump was inaugurated in 2017.
Carter was announced as the longest-lived American president in March 2019. Before him, former President George H.W. Bush held the title — he passed away in 2018.
The longest-lived American president survived a melanoma diagnosis in 2015. This diagnosis spread to his brain before it was announced he had survived through it. Since then, he has had a hip replacement and several falls.
The 96-year-old former president and his 93-year-old wife will be greatly missed at Biden’s inauguration, especially since people have seen their faces in the audience for so many years.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Source:
ABC News: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter won’t attend Biden’s inauguration
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