Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday is approaching — but the former president is more excited about voting in the upcoming presidential election, his grandson, Jason Carter, has said. In an update shared on September 17, 2024, Jason Carter said that although his grandfather's physical condition has "diminished," he remains "emotionally engaged."
Jason Carter spoke to reporters at Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song, a gala sponsored by Delta Air Lines and hosted at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre. At the event, Jason Carter told People that the former president "can’t do much on his own," but he is "still having experiences and laughing, loving."
Jimmy Carter will celebrate his 100th birthday on October 1. He's been in hospice for over 19 months, but Jason Carter told People that he's "doing okay."
He's the longest-living former US president, and while celebrating his 100th birthday would be a significant milestone, Jason Carter said his grandfather is more focused on another milestone — electing the first Black woman president, per Atlanta News First.
“He was excited to turn 100, but he’s more excited to cast his ballot for Vice President Harris,” Jason Carter said at the event, per Atlanta News First. "I think he’s ready to turn the page on Donald Trump, like many, many of the rest of us. And I also think that he does believe in this historical moment.”
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There are several reasons why Jimmy Carter is hoping that Kamala Harris will win the 2024 presidential election, his grandson explained. “It would be an incredible story at the end of his hundred-year life, that is continuing on, as we know, to have grown up in the segregated South, and for one of his last political acts to be helping elect a Black woman as the president, I do think it would be important,” Jason said, per Atlanta News First.
Additionally, the former president hopes for less divisiveness in the US, his grandson explained. "I also think he wants to see this country brought back together. I think he wants to reduce that polarization," Jason Carter told the news outlet.
Jimmy Carter has been in hospice care since February 2023. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, died in November 2023. She was 96 years old.
In another health update shared at the 28th Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, Jason Carter said his grandfather was doing OK but might be "coming to the end."
However, he added that his grandfather was "still there." He even continued to crack jokes.
When visiting his grandfather around that time, Jason Carter said, "People ask me how you’re doing. And I say, 'I don’t know.'" The former president had a humorous response: "Well, I don’t know myself."
In June, Jason Carter told Southern Living that his grandfather is not awake every day, but when it comes to his overall health condition, there's "really been no change."
