Former President Jimmy Carter planning to vote for VP Kamala Harris
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, 2014.(Credit: LBJ Library/The Carter Center) (Supplied)
ATLANTA - Former President Jimmy Carter reportedly told his son that he hopes to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"I'm only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris," the 99-year-old former president said, according to former Senator Jason Carter.
Jason Carter also told the newspaper that his grandfather has been "more alert and interested in politics and the war in Gaza" in recent days.
Carter says that the exchange between Mr. Carter, who was the nation's 39th president, and his son Chip took place a few days ago when Chip asked his father if he is trying to make it to the century mark.
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The former president will turn 100 years old on Oct. 1. Early voting in Georgia begins on Oct. 15.
Carter also voted in May's primary election, according to his family. Despite his health complications over the last few years, politics has remained an important part of his life.
Carter is the oldest living and longest-lived former president in U.S. history.
100th birthday celebrations
Many believe that Mr. Carter will hang on until his 100th birthday, and plans have been made to celebrate the milestone.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Aug. 5 for a musical celebration at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The concert will feature appearances by Chuck Leavell, D-Nice, Drive-By Truckers, Eric Church, GROUPLOVE, Maren Morris, The War And Treaty, and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus. Emmy award-winner Rickey Minor will serve as the musical director, with appearances by celebrity guests such as Dale Murphy and Killer Mike. Additional artists and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Carter will not be in attendance, according to the Carter Center. However, he is aware of the celebration, and they will ensure he sees photos and video from the musical celebration. Music has always been an important part of Carter's life, and he was known as the Rock 'n' Roll President.
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Other planned events include a 100-mile community bicycle ride in his home county and a free film festival in Atlanta organized by the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. The film festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sep. 28 and will feature some of Carter's favorite films.
Relationship with Donald Trump
Mr. Carter's relationship with former President Donald Trump hasn't been as contentious as some of the relationships between Trump and other former Democratic presidents.
He has both criticized and defended the former president.
In 2016, Carter said the Trump campaign "tapped a waiting reservoir there of inherent racism" to fuel Trump's election campaign. He also said that Trump's call to ban foreign Muslims from entering the country and his references to Mexican immigrants as criminals violated "basic human rights."
In 2017, Carter told the New York Times that the media was "harder on Trump than any other president certainly that I have known about."
And in 2019, he took a phone call from Trump to discuss US-China trade negotiations.
However, in 2019, Carter also suggested that Trump was an illegitimate president by saying he didn't actually win the election in 2016. The former president said that a full investigation into the Russian interference in the 2016 election would prove that Trump did not win and the Russians interfered on his behalf.
Trump has made a couple of references to Carter during his current campaign for president. In January, he brought up former First Lady Rosalynn Carter's funeral, which his wife attended, saying, "It was beautiful. Jimmy Carter was there. I thought to myself, ‘Jimmy Carter is happy now, because he will go down as a brilliant president by comparison to Joe Biden.’"
It is unknown if Trump is aware of Carter's plans to vote for his opponent.
Both Harris and Trump were in Atlanta last week for rallies at the same venue.
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The vice president will also return later this week to south Georgia for a rally with her pick for vice president.