As former President Jimmy Carter nears his 100th birthday, his milestone celebration isn’t on his mind.
Defeating Donald Trump is.
“I’m only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris,” Carter told his son Chip this week, according to his grandson Jason Carter.
Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday is Oct. 1 and the possibility that he might reach the century mark is stunning, given that when he entered hospice care in February 2023 his physicians indicated he might have only days to live.
Jason Carter, a former Democratic gubernatorial nominee, said his grandfather has been “more alert and interested in politics and the war in Gaza” in recent days.
He said the exchange took place a few days ago when Chip asked the former president if he’s trying to make it to the century mark. He was clear he was more interested in electing Harris, the party’s presumptive nominee.
Even so, there will be plenty of celebrations as Carter approaches his 100th birthday. A concert will be held at the Fox Theatre on Sept. 17 to raise funds for the Carter Center, his Atlanta-based nonprofit established to promote human rights, advance democracy and eradicate diseases.
Other events related to Carter’s birthday have been scheduled in Atlanta and his southwest Georgia hometown of Plains, where he remains in hospice.
The former president wouldn’t have to wait long after his birthday to cast his ballot. Georgia’s three-week early voting period for the presidential election begins on Oct. 15.
