Despite his grandson saying he was ‘limited’ as he turned 100, Jimmy Carter spent his birthday in the sunshine enjoying a military flyover at his Georgia home.
Carter – the first American president to reach the century mark – was able to watch a flyover of four F-18 jets and several vintage planes that graced the skies over Plains, Georgia as part of the town’s celebrations, per CBS News.
He was also feted at Plains High School, where Carter graduated in 1941 and which now serves as the visitor center for the national park that features sites from his early life, including the nearby peanut farm where he grew up.
On Tuesday evening, the school held a concert in honor of the president, and in the morning, a naturalization ceremony for 100 new US citizens, who placed hands over their hearts and recited the pledge of allegiance.
Carter’s grandson Jason issued a concerning update on the former president’s health as he celebrates, but revealed who he wished to vote for in the upcoming presidential election.
Despite his grandson Jason (pictured) saying he was ‘limited’ as he turned 100, Jimmy Carter spent his birthday in the sunshine enjoying a military flyover at his Georgia home
Speaking to CBS Mornings, Jason Carter – who followed in his grandfather’s footsteps in becoming a politician – said that the 39th former president is ‘very limited in what he can do’ and that he ‘can’t talk on the phone’.
But Jason also shed light on who his grandfather, who is the longest lived in U.S. history and now the first to become a centenarian, will vote for in the upcoming presidential election.
‘When we asked him was he excited about his 100th birthday, he said ‘I’m excited about that but I’m really excited to vote for Kamala Harris‘,’ after he reportedly told his grandchildren that his new aim was to reach Election Day, after having been following the election.
The former president and former Georgia Governor’s vote could be important as Georgia is a key swing state which polls show is on a knife-edge between Harris and republican nominee Donald Trump.
Jason had also told the New York Times that the ex-president had formed a ‘real personal kinship’ with Harris and that he was ‘compelled by her story as a real example of the American dream’.
To mark Carter’s landmark birthday, his hometown of Plains, Georgia will celebrate with a flyover by military jets and a concert.
The updates about Carter come after he went into hospice care last year, when it was believed he only had days to live.
His last public appearance was nearly a year ago at the funeral of his wife Rosalynn. The pair were the longest-married first couple having been wed 77 years.
They met when the former president was just three years old and Rosalynn was a newborn.
According to his family, he had a ‘low period’ after that but has now perked up,and now spends his time listening to Bob Dylan and watching baseball.
Carter – the first American president to reach the century mark – was able to watch a flyover of four F-18 jets and several vintage planes that graced the skies over Plains, Georgia as part of the town’s celebrations
A local resident of Plains and friend of former US President Jimmy Carter Gloria English (R), along with her care taker Stacy Ludden, walk beneath a sign reading ‘Home of Jimmy Carter’ in Plains, Georgia, on September 30, 2024, ahead of his 100th birthday
Plains, Georgia is waiting to celebrate Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday on October 1, when its hometown hero becomes the only ever US president to reach the centennial mark
Jason said the 100th birthday celebrations were not something the family expected to see once his grandmother died.
‘We frankly didn’t think he was going to go on much longer,’ Jason said. ‘But it’s a faith journey for him, and he’s really given himself over to what he feels is God’s plan. He knows he’s not in charge. But in these last few months, especially, he has gotten a lot more engaged in world events, a lot more engaged in politics, a lot more, just engaged, emotionally, with all of us.’
The Democrat served one presidential term from 1977 to 1981 and then worked more than four decades leading the Carter Center, which he and his wife founded in 1982 to ‘wage peace, fight disease, and build hope’.
In 2022, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work trying to find solutions to global conflicts.
Last month his representatives were forced to deny claims he had died after a fake letter was posted on X.
