The White House announced Tuesday that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden would visit with former President Jimmy C...
The White House announced Tuesday that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden would visit with former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn when they visit Georgia on Thursday.
The Bidens were already due in the state to participate in a drive-in rally in Atlanta to mark the president's 100th day in office.
Now they're also expected to travel to the Carters' home in Plains, Georgia.
President Joe Biden (left) and first lady Jill Biden (right) will be traveling to Plains, Georgia on Thursday to meet with former President Jimmy Carter, 96, and his wife Rosalynn, 93
Jimmy Carter (center left) and Rosalynn Carter (right) missed President Joe Biden's January inauguration due to COVID-19 concerns. Here they're in March 2020, before the pandemic, with now Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (left) and his husband Chasten (center right)
At 96, Jimmy Carter is the oldest living U.S. president.
He was unable to come to Biden's January inauguration due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Ex-Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all came.
The White House has not given a reason for the trip however, Carter and Biden both lost a close friend, Carter's Vice President Walter Mondale, on April 19.
Mondale died at the age of 93.
The president and first lady put out a lengthy statement about Mondale's passing.
'It was Walter Mondale who defined the vice presidency as a full partnership, and helped provide a model for my service,' the president said.
Biden also said he was able to speak to 'Fritz' Mondale on the phone before his death.
'Today I mourn the passing of my dear friend Walter Mondale, who I consider the best vice president in our country’s history,' Carter said in a statement. 'During our administration, Fritz used his political skill and personal integrity to transform the vice presidency into a dynamic, policy-driving force that had never been seen before and still exists today.'
Carter and 93-year-old Rosalynn have been vaccinated for the coronavirus, and have started going to church in-person again, the Associated Press reported.
Both Bidens are also fully vaccinated.
The president and first lady will also attend what will likely be one of the final drive-in political rallies, which Democrats used in the summer and fall to enforce social distancing - asking most attendees to stay in or around their vehicles during the programming.
The drive-in rallies were a stark contrast to those headlined by former President Donald Trump, who allowed supporters to pack in by the thousand despite the virus threat.
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