President Biden eulogized Jimmy Carter on Thursday as a man of character and faith whose life in the White House and for decades beyond was driven by a relentless desire to make the lives of other people better.
“He showed us how character and faith start with ourselves and then flows to others,” Mr. Biden said, speaking to fellow presidents, world leaders, politicians and the sprawling Carter family. “At our best, we share the better parts of ourselves — joy, solidarity, love, commitment — not for reward, but in reverence of the incredible gift of life we’ve all been granted, to make every minute of our time here on Earth count.”
Mr. Biden spent little time recounting Mr. Carter’s accomplishments, as had already been done by other speakers at the funeral. Instead, he focused on “Jimmy Carter’s enduring attribute: character, character, character.”
He said that character was the reason he endorsed Mr. Carter’s presidential campaign in the 1970s, well before many other Democratic politicians. He said it was Mr. Carter’s character that allowed him to survive in a world of powerful pressures.
“It is the story of a man who never let the ties of politics divert him from his mission to serve and shape the world,” he said. “The man had character.”
At times, Mr. Biden’s eulogy echoed the themes of his own presidency, even borrowing from the many speeches he gave about the need to treat people equally and to enact policies that helped to lift up those less fortunate in America.
“We all are created equal in the image of God and deserve to be treated equally,” Mr. Biden said. “Throughout our lives, we’ve never fully lived up to that idea of America. We’ve never walked away from it, either, because of patriots like Jimmy Carter.”
For years, Mr. Biden has warned about the threat to democracy and the rule of law from President-elect Donald J. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20. With Mr. Trump in the audience, Mr. Biden did not single him out by name. But he delivered a message laced with meaning that could have been aimed at the next president.
“We have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor and to stand up to what my dad used to say is the greatest sin of all: the abuse of power,” Mr. Biden said. “That’s not about being perfect, because none of us are perfect. We’re all fallible. But it’s about asking ourselves, are we striving to do things, the right things?”
Mr. Carter did strive to do the right things, Mr. Biden said, in office and after he left.
“To young people, to anyone in search of meaning and purpose,” Mr. Biden said, “study the power of Jimmy Carter’s example.”
“Jimmy Carter did justly, loved mercy, walked humbly,” he added. “May God bless a great American, a dear friend, and a good man.”
