George and Laura Bush Honor Jimmy Carter in Joint Statement: He ‘Dignified the Office’

Former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush remembered Jimmy Carter as a man who “dignified” the office of the president in a Sunday statement.

After it was announced by Carter’s son Chip Carter that the country’s 39th president died on Sunday afternoon at the age of 100 at his Georgia home, tributes poured in. George and Laura Bush issued the following statement:

Laura and I send our heartfelt condolences to Jack, Chip, Jeff, Amy, and the entire Carter family.

James Earl Carter, Jr., was a man of deeply held convictions. He was loyal to his family, his community, and his country. President Carter dignified the office. And his efforts to leave behind a better world didn’t end with the presidency. His work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center set an example of service that will inspire Americans for generations.

We join our fellow citizens in giving thanks for Jimmy Carter and in prayer for his family.

Carter had been in hospice care for nearly two years. He lost his wife former First Lady Rosalynn Carter at the age of 96 in November 2023. The couple was married for 77 years.

President Joe Biden announced Sunday evening he had ordered an official state funeral for Carter to be held in Washington at a date that had yet to be announced.

“Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian,” Biden said in a joint statement with First Lady Jill Biden. “Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well.”

President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump and Bill and Hillary Clinton also issued statements on Carter’s passing.

This is a breaking news story and may be updated.