Biden to Deliver Eulogy for Carter, Discusses Revived Cancer Moonshot Plan

President Joe Biden revealed on Monday night at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in Rancho Santa Fe, California that former President Jimmy Carter has asked him to deliver his eulogy when he dies.[0] Carter, 98, has been in hospice care since February 18 after The Carter Center issued an official statement earlier in the month about his health.[1]

Biden was the first elected official outside of Georgia to endorse Carter for president in 1976 and Carter has called the fellow Democrat his “first and most effective supporter in the Senate,” as well as his “loyal and dedicated friend” in his own presidential endorsement.[2]

The president made the revelation while speaking about the health issues of Carter, who has battled cancer for years, and his decision to seek hospice care, according to the pool report.[3]

“He asked me to do his eulogy,” the president said before adding, “Excuse me, I shouldn't say that.”[3]

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said earlier this month that Biden and Carter have “known each other since 1976,” and The Carter Center said the former president has “the full support of his family and his medical team.”[4]

In addition to discussing Carter, Biden was likely referring to his revived Cancer Moonshot plan, which aims to reduce the cancer death rate by half within 25 years, while also calling for funding for the Advanced Research Project Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, which would focus on breakthrough health care and technology innovations.[4]

0. “Biden attacks Fox News in closed-door fundraiser” Daily Mail, 14 Mar. 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11856815/Biden-attacks-Fox-News-closed-door-fundraiser.html

1. “Biden says Carter asked him to deliver his eulogy” KTVZ, 14 Mar. 2023, https://ktvz.com/news/2023/03/13/biden-says-carter-asked-him-to-deliver-his-eulogy/

2. “Joe Biden walks back comment about delivering Jimmy Carter’s ‘eulogy’ as he admits he ‘shouldn’t’ have made…” The US Sun, 14 Mar. 2023, https://www.the-sun.com/news/7623727/joe-biden-jimmy-carter-eulogy-comment/

3. “Biden says Carter asked him to do his eulogy” WGNO New Orleans, 14 Mar. 2023, https://wgno.com/hill-politics/biden-says-carter-asked-him-to-do-his-eulogy

4. “Biden accidentally reveals Jimmy Carter asked him to deliver his eulogy” New York Post , 14 Mar. 2023, https://nypost.com/2023/03/14/biden-accidentally-reveals-jimmy-carter-asked-him-to-deliver-his-eulogy/