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Former US President Jimmy Carter was honored Thursday with a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral before a second service and burial in his Georgia hometown.
The funeral service of the 39th US president witnessed a reunion that no one anticipated. All five living former presidents ed the Oval Office—President Biden, former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and President-elect Donald Trump—were seen together for the first time since the 2018 funeral of former President George H.W. Bush.
Trump and Obama, who were seated next to each other were seen chatting cordially.
The country is marking a day of national mourning for Carter, who died in December at the age of 100, less than two weeks before the White House changes hands from President Joe Biden to President-elect Trump.
Both Biden and Trump, joined by first lady Jill Biden and former first lady Melania Trump, were in the cathedral.
Also attending were former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Kamala Harris — both of whom Trump has defeated in presidential elections — in addition to foreign dignitaries including outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Carter was a peanut farmer who grew up in his early childhood without electricity and indoor plumbing. He went on to serve in the US Navy and as governor of Georgia before becoming president. That life story of a Washington outsider who rose to power and accomplished much beyond the Oval Office has drawn fresh attention and praise in an age when deriding political opponents as out-of-touch is a standard campaign tactic.
Carter himself showed respect for the stately rituals of the office, even though he wasn’t shy about sharing his political views — at times rankling his successors, including leaders of his own party. He was the first former president to accept the invitation to attend Trump’s first inauguration in 2017. But he also would castigate the Republican as dishonest and in his last months said he wanted to live long enough to cast a vote for Harris in the 2024 election — which he did.
(With inputs from agencies)