‘Grace, dignity, changed lives’: US and foreign leaders praise Jimmy Carter’s legacy

WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden led the tributes from US presidents past, present and future on Dec 29, and foreign leaders joined in, as word spread of

the death at age 100 of former president Jimmy Carter.

“Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian,” US President Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

“He saved, lifted and changed the lives of people all across the globe.”

To US President-elect Donald Trump, Americans owe Mr Carter “a debt of gratitude”.

“The challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans,” he said on social media.

Former US president Bill Clinton, a Southern Democrat like Mr Carter, said his predecessor had “worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world”.

He added, in a joint statement with his wife and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, that Mr Carter “lived to serve others – until the very end”.

To former US president George W. Bush, Mr Carter “dignified the office. And his efforts to leave behind a better world didn’t end with the presidency”.

And for former US president Barack Obama, Mr Carter “taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service”.

Among other US politicians reacting, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said that Mr Carter “taught us that the strength of a leader lies not in rhetoric but in action, not in personal gain but in service to others”.

And in one of the first reactions from abroad, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Mr Carter had “been a steadfast advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable and has tirelessly fought for peace”.

“France sends its heartfelt thoughts to his family and to the American people,” he said. AFP