He stood there, a man whose own presidency was ticking down to its final hours, looking at a flag-draped casket. Joe Biden was about to do something he’d been preparing for, in some ways, for fifty years. The setting was the Washington National Cathedral, a place where the air always feels a bit heavier, especially when the 39th President of the United States is being laid to rest.
Jimmy Carter was 100. A century of life.
When President Biden stepped up to the lectern on January 9, 2025, the room was packed with the kind of people who usually disagree on everything. But the Joe Biden eulogy for Carter wasn't just another political speech. It was personal. Biden was, after all, the very first sitting senator to endorse Carter back in 1976 when most of Washington thought the "peanut farmer" didn't stand a chance.
The "Character is Destiny" Theme
Biden didn't lead with policy. Honestly, that’s not how Joe talks anyway. He leaned into a word he kept repeating like a mantra: Character. He told the crowd that character isn't about the title you hold or the fancy office you sit in.
"Jimmy Carter’s friendship taught me," Biden said, "that strength of character is more than title or the power we hold."
He talked about Carter’s upbringing in Plains, Georgia—a house with no running water, no electricity. It’s the kind of "started from the bottom" story that politicians love, but Biden made it feel less like a campaign trope and more like a testament to the man's grit. He reminded everyone that Carter would wake up at 4 a.m. as a kid just to wash peanuts and haul them down a railway track to sell.
Basically, the message was: If you want to understand the president, you have to understand the boy with the paper bags of peanuts.
Addressing the Room (And the Future)
The atmosphere was kind of surreal. You had the current president eulogizing a past one, with the incoming president, Donald Trump, sitting right there in the pews. It’s no secret that the political climate was—and is—beyond tense.
Biden didn't shy away from it.
He looked out and said we have an "obligation to give hate no safe harbor." He called the abuse of power the "greatest sin of all." He didn’t name names, but you could’ve heard a pin drop. It was a moment where the "Washington of old," as some reporters called it, seemed to be making its final stand against a new, much more chaotic era.
Key Highlights from the Service
- The Prophet Micah: Biden quoted Micah 6:8, a verse Carter lived by: "Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly."
- The Bond: Biden reminded the audience he was the first senator to back Carter's "outsider" bid.
- The Post-Presidency: He touched on the decades Carter spent building houses and fighting diseases, arguing that Carter redefined what a former president should actually do with their time.
Why This Eulogy Felt Different
Usually, these things are strictly by the book. Very formal. Very stiff.
But Biden was visibly moved. He spoke about his last visit to the Carters' home in Plains. He saw Jimmy "at peace," a man who had lived a "purposeful life." It’s rare to see a sitting president speak so candidly about the mortality of a peer, especially one who had become such a close friend over five decades.
He didn't just talk about the Nobel Peace Prize or the Camp David Accords. He talked about the "square peg in a round hole" quality that Carter had. Carter was never really a Washington insider, even when he lived in the White House. Biden, who spent thirty-six years in the Senate, seemed to admire that stubborn independence more than anything else.
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The Legacy Beyond the Words
What most people get wrong about Carter is thinking he was just a "nice guy" who failed at the economy. Biden’s eulogy was a direct pushback against that. He framed Carter as a "visionary" on things like climate change and human rights long before they were popular.
It was a defense of the "good man" in a "smash-mouth" political world.
Actionable Takeaways for History Buffs
If you're looking to dive deeper into the significance of this moment, here’s how to frame the legacy:
- Read the full transcript: Biden’s focus on the "power of faith, hope, and love" is a direct callback to Carter's own Sunday School teachings.
- Look at the 1976 Endorsement: To understand why Biden was chosen to speak, you have to look at his 1976 decision to back Carter, which was a massive political risk at the time.
- Study the Carter Center: Carter’s work after 1981 is arguably more influential than his four years in office. Biden highlighted this as the "model post-presidency."
The service ended with a rendition of "On Eagle’s Wings," a favorite of Biden’s and a fitting send-off for a man who spent his life trying to lift others up. Carter was flown back to Georgia one last time, to be buried in the soil of Plains, right next to his beloved Rosalynn.
It was the end of a century, and the end of an era.