President-elect Trump is planning to attend the funeral of former President Carter, he said Tuesday.
Asked by The Associated Press as he walked into a New Year’s Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump said, “I’ll be there.” Trump declined to share whether he had spoken to members of Carter’s family.
Carter died peacefully Sunday in Plains, Ga., according to the Carter Center. He turned 100 in October, making him the longest-lived president in the nation’s history.
Trump frequently criticized Carter’s administration on the campaign trail, comparing the rising inflation rates of the 1970s to inflation today in attacks against President Biden. However, the former president wrote in a tribute to Carter after his death that the 39th president did “everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans.”
While Trump said he “strongly disagreed” with Carter “philosophically and politically,” he recognized that the former president “truly loved and respected our Country and all it stands for.”
“He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my highest respect,” Trump said. “He was a truly good man and, of course, will be greatly missed.”
Carter’s funeral will be held at Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 9, the culmination of several days of remembrances. Biden is expected to deliver one of the eulogies, having previously indicated that Carter asked him to do so.
Before then, Carter’s remains will travel through his hometown of Plains, before arriving in Atlanta, where he will lie in repose at the Carter Center for three days. Then, his body will lie in state in the Rotunda of the Capitol for two days before departing for the cathedral. His final resting place will be Plains, where he will be buried next to his late wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter.
Flags will fly at half-staff over all government buildings for 30 days after Carter’s death, Biden said in his proclamation.
