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Former President Jimmy Carter Dead At 100; President Biden Speaks On The Passing Of Jimmy Carter; Biden: Jill And I Lost A Dear Friend In Jimmy Carter. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired December 29, 2024 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[19:00:45]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: This is CNN's special breaking news coverage. We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in New York.

We're waiting for President Joe Biden to make a statement any moment now on the death of former president Jimmy Carter. We're going to bring that to you live once the president starts speaking.

The American flag, by the way, is flying at half-staff right now over at the White House. You can see it there. That's where President Carter held sway in the Oval Office from 1977 until 1981. The 39th president of the United States was surrounded by family as he passed away earlier today at his home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 100.

During his single four-year term in office, Carter forged a rare and enduring peace deal between Israel and Egypt, formalized relations between the United States and Communist China, and put human rights right at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy. But his presidential career was also four years long -- was only four years long as voters blamed him for the serious inflation at home during that time, and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran, which ended just one day after Jimmy Carter left office.

But for the next four decades after leaving office, he changed the world view of what American presidents do after they leave the White House, blazing a path forward that has become a shining example of doing good for other people here in the United States and indeed around the world.

Here's a closer look back at President Carter's truly extraordinary life and career.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We just want the truth again.

BLITZER (voice-over): Jimmy Carter was elected president barely two years after the law-breaking and cover-ups of the Watergate scandal forced President Richard Nixon to resign. His candor seemed like a breath of fresh air.

CARTER: There's a fear that our best years are behind us. But I say to you that our nation's best is still ahead.

BLITZER: James Earl Carter was born on October 1st, 1924. His father ran an agricultural supply store in Plains, Georgia. His mother was a nurse. He was smart enough and tough enough to receive an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. Just after graduation in 1946, he married Rosalynn Smith.

His naval career took him from battleships to the new nuclear submarine program, but when his father died in 1953, he left the military and returned to Georgia, where he spent the next two decades running the family peanut farm business, and slowly and steadily beginning a political career that saw him elected governor of Georgia in 1970.

JODY POWELL, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: To use an old 1950s term, if there ever was a classic example of an inner directed man, you know, Jimmy Carter is it.

BLITZER: His close friend and associate was Press Secretary Jody Powell, who died in 2009.

POWELL: He enjoyed people and he enjoyed talking to people. I think he enjoyed those early days of campaigns when there was much more personal interaction with the voters than he did in the latter stages when it was a series of set piece speeches and large crowds.

CARTER: My name is Jimmy Carter, and I'm running for president.

BLITZER: In 1976, the former Georgia governor went from being Jimmy Who to the White House. Not everyone in Washington was happy to see him.

TOM OLIPHANT, THE BOSTON GLOBE: Washington, even more than New York, is the snobbiest city in America. And Carter and the Georgians were treated like dirt, condescendingly and with hostility. If he had a fault, it was that he matched Washington's hostility with his own.

BLITZER: Early on, Carter was accused of presidential micromanaging, of excessive attention to detail.

OLIPHANT: At his best, Jimmy Carter mastered a subject and then led, sometimes very effectively, because of his mastery of its details.

[19:05:01]

BLITZER: That mastery of details enabled Carter to negotiate the Camp David Peace Accords, a deal between Egypt and Israel that led to a peace treaty ending decades of war between their countries.

His most difficult presidential days came after Iranian militants took dozens of Americans hostage in Tehran in late 1979. They were held for 444 days, and eight U.S. servicemen died after President Carter ordered an elaborate rescue attempt that failed. The Iran hostage crisis was only one of the challenges that confronted

President Carter.

CARTER: We must face the fact that the energy shortage is permanent.

BLITZER: During Carter's term, Americans endured a sharp, steady increase in oil and gasoline prices, which forced everything to cost more. To some Carter's stark comments began to sound like moralizing.

CARTER: The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America.

BLITZER: In 1980, Carter faced Republican challenger Ronald Reagan, who exuded sunny optimism and asked voters a simple question.

RONALD REAGAN, 40TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Are you better off than you were four years ago?

BLITZER: Jimmy Carter lost the election, but not his resolve to make a difference. He and Rosalynn founded the Carter Center, in part to promote peace, democracy, human rights, as well as economic and social development all over the world. Carter monitored elections for fairness. He went to North Korea and Cuba and met with leaders usually shunned by the U.S., including representatives of Hamas, the Palestinian organization both the U.S. and Israel have branded as terrorists.

POWELL: This is a man who has a really unique commitment to public service. It really is a calling with him.

BLITZER: In autumn of 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The culmination of an incredible career as a world leader and as a citizen.

CARTER: I'm delighted and humbled and very grateful that the Nobel Peace Prize Committee has given me this recognition.

BLITZER: He still wasn't done. Carter remained active into his 90s, traveling, writing books, building Habitat for Humanity homes, and to the discomfort of his successors, speaking out on the issues of the day. He criticized Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky, called George W. Bush's international policy, quote, "the worst in history."

But from your definition, you believe the United States under this administration has used torture?

CARTER: I don't -- I don't think it. I know it, certainly.

BLITZER (voice-over): He also took on President Donald Trump.

STEPHEN COLBERT, LATE-NIGHT HOST: Does America want kind of a jerk as president?

CARTER: Oh, apparently, from his recent election, yes. I never knew it before.

BLITZER: Carter survived a cancer scare in 2015 and kept going.

CARTER: Didn't find any cancer at all so.

BLITZER: When he attended George H.W. Bush's funeral in late 2018, he was the oldest of America's living presidents. He celebrated his own 100th birthday in 2024. His beloved wife Rosalynn passed away in 2023. She'd been a steadfast partner through 77 years of marriage.

Carter's diminished health prevented him from speaking at her memorial service, so their daughter, Amy, read a letter he wrote to Rosalynn while deployed with the Navy 75 years earlier.

AMY CARTER, JIMMY CARTER'S DAUGHTER: My darling, every time I have ever been away from you, I have been thrilled when I returned to discover just how wonderful you are. While I am away, I try to convince myself that you really are not, could not be as sweet and beautiful as I remember. But when I see you, I fall in love with you all over again. Does that seem strange to you? It doesn't to me.

BLITZER: Husband. Statesman. A connection to an era now gone. Jimmy Carter was a defender of values forever current.

CARTER: Those who hunger for freedom, who thirst for human dignity, and who suffer for the sake of justice. They are the patriots of this cause. I believe with all my heart that America must always stand for these basic human rights at home and abroad. That is both our history and our destiny.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And let's discuss the reaction that we're getting, enormous reaction to the death of Jimmy Carter. CNN senior political commentator David Axelrod is joining us right now.

David, you tweeted this earlier tonight. Let me put it up on the screen.

In politics, many believe the worst epithet is loser. Some are not strong enough to cope with defeat. Jimmy Carter lost an election and spent the rest of his life settling conflicts, conquering disease and building homes for the homeless. He was in every way a winner.

[19:10:05]

Expand a little bit if you can, David, on Carter's career after leaving the White House and what made him so influential and so important.

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, Wolf, I mean, I think the thing that really summarizes Jimmy Carter is the word service. He viewed politics and he viewed his life as an exercise in service. It flowed from his faith and the principles of his faith. And he acted on that after he left the presidency, certainly during the presidency and after the presidency.

So, you know, I mean, into his 60s and 70s and 80s and 90s, he was traveling the world trying to resolve conflicts. He helped eradicate the Guinea worm in Africa, saved countless lives by doing that. You know, as I said in that tweet, you know, was a human rights advocate to the end, sometimes to the consternation of policy makers here. But he held the U.S. to the principles that he articulated in that tape you just ran, that the United States should stand for human rights in the world.

And that continues to be a big debate. Remember, he followed Richard Nixon, who's a real politick, placed human rights way down on the list of priorities. And Carter changed that. And he lived those principles in his life, and he stood up for human rights around the world. He was incredibly impactful, which is why he won the Nobel Prize well after he left the presidency. And, you know, so I think as you think of Jimmy Carter, you can't just think of the four years he was president in which he did it -- he accomplished some major things.

He also presided over some major, major problems. But when you look at the totality of his life, uh, you can think of few, if any Americans who have lived as remarkable a life of service.

BLITZER: Truly remarkable indeed. What was the relationship like, David, between Jimmy Carter and the president you worked for, Barack Obama? Can you talk a little bit about how these two presidents interacted?

AXELROD: Well, every president, you know, it's a very small group of people that you can speak with. And certainly they communicated. I wouldn't describe them as particularly close, but certainly President Obama respected Jimmy Carter, respected him for what he did as president. Every president respects what it's like to go through crisis as a president. And Carter had his share. Obama had his share.

But he also had enormous respect for what Carter did after the presidency and the impact that he had around the world. You know, Carter could be -- every president probably prefers that former presidents keep their counsel more than not, because they're going to be heard. And sometimes, if they disagree with a policy, they're going to be heard. But I think that President Obama, as he said in his statement tonight, had enormous regard for Jimmy Carter, not just as a former president, but particularly as a person and as a humanitarian.

BLITZER: I totally agree.

How does Jimmy Carter, David, and Jimmy Carter's legacy fit into the modern, the today Democratic Party? Where do you see his fingerprints?

AXELROD: Well, certainly that's one of them. I mean, human rights remains an important element of Democratic politics. But remember, Wolf, and you were around for some of this, he, you know, he was a fiscally conservative, more conservative than some other Democrats. Certainly Washington Democrats at that time, frugal. That was -- he differed on that. But in prizing human rights, civil rights, the dignity of people, the need to resolve conflicts in the world.

I mean, the Camp David accord remains one of the great diplomatic achievements. And he was at the center of that. So, the idea that America has a role to play in the world in helping to resolve conflict and lift a lot of people around the world that that continues to be an ideal that, I think a lot of Democrats share and a lot of Americans share.

BLITZER: And we're waiting, as you know, David, for President Biden, he's going to be going on camera making a statement.

[19:15:03]

We'll have live coverage of that coming up. He'll make a statement. He's on vacation in Saint Croix. We're about to hear from the current president about the late president momentarily. We'll have live coverage of that.

David Axelrod, as usual, thank you very much.

And our breaking news coverage will continue when we come back.

Jimmy Carter, the oldest living president, has died at the age of 100. Once again, we're waiting for President Biden to speak, and we'll be joined by Ambassador Andrew Young, a friend to the former president, Jimmy Carter.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're following breaking news. There you see the podium there. The president of the United States, Joe Biden, is getting ready to make a statement, be on camera to make a statement about the passing of Jimmy Carter, who just died at the age of 100.

[19:20:01]

We'll have live coverage of that coming up. We expect it any minute now.

Leaving behind an enduring legacy with perhaps the 20th century most significant diplomatic achievement, we're talking about the 1978 Camp David Peace Accords, the historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. Let's discuss what's going on with someone who worked very, very closely with President Carter as his ambassador to the United Nations. I'm talking about Ambassador Andrew Young. He's also the former mayor of Atlanta.

Ambassador Young, thanks very much for joining us. I know you worked closely with Jimmy Carter. You knew him well. What's your reaction to his passing?

AMB. ANDREW YOUNG, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER AND FORMER U.N. AMBASSADOR: Well, we had expected it for some time. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised that he was able to see 100 and stay around to cast his vote in the last election. And he was --

BLITZER: And he said he wanted -- he specifically had said he wanted to live long enough to at least cast a vote in the most recent U.S. presidential election.

YOUNG: And he did that.

BLITZER: Yes.

YOUNG: But he constantly reminded us of the importance of voting. And one of the things he did that I don't think any other governor has done, he deputized every high school principal in the state of Georgia as a registered voter, so that nobody during his time as governor, nobody could graduate from Georgia high school without being a registered voter.

BLITZER: Interesting. Very -- I did not know that myself, and I've done a lot of work over the years covering Jimmy Carter and doing research on him. What do you remember most from your time working with President Carter as his ambassador to the United Nations, and his efforts for creating peace around the world?

YOUNG: Well, he was a -- well, the State Department that I inherited was still very much under the influence of Henry Kissinger, which meant that it had not put much emphasis on human rights or developing countries. And he immediately, when he swore me in at the White House, he said, I want you to go to Africa immediately. Meet as many African leaders as possible, see what they expect of us, our administration, and how we might help them.

BLITZER: Yes. I remember those days well.

YOUNG: It was --

BLITZER: We're about to hear, Ambassador Young --

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: We're about to hear Ambassador Young in the next minute or so from President Biden. This is significant to hear what the current president is about to say about the passing of the former president.

YOUNG: Well, they were good friends.

BLITZER: Yes, they were.

YOUNG: And --

BLITZER: I know that after your time as ambassador to the United Nations, President Carter awarded you the Presidential Medal of Freedom. What did it mean to you to be given this prestigious, important award by someone who helped usher in some of the most significant diplomatic achievements of that era?

YOUNG: Well, it meant a lot. But like everything else I did, I was doing it because I thought it was my duty as a citizen of these United States, and it was part of my religious heritage. And so I didn't see it as an award or a reward. I saw it as just a recognition that I did the best I could.

BLITZER: So what's the most important thing you want Americans and people indeed all over the world to remember about President Carter? YOUNG: That he loved everybody. I mean, he really did go out of his

way to make friends with people in every part of the world. And they knew that he respected their opinions --

BLITZER: All right. Ambassador, the president of the United States is about to speak about Jimmy Carter. I want to listen in.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, this is a sad day, but it brings back an incredible amount of good memories.

Today, America and the world, in my view, lost a remarkable leader. He was a statesman, a humanitarian. And Jill and I lost a dear friend. I've been hanging out with Jimmy Carter for over 50 years, it dawned on me, and I had countless conversations with him over those years, and I always would be proud to say that, he used to kid me about it, that I was the first national figure to endorse him in 1976 when he ran for president.

There was an overwhelming reason for it. His character. What I find extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people all around the world, all over the world, feel they lost a friend as well, even though they never met him.

[19:25:06]

And that's because Jimmy Carter lived a life measured not by words, but by his deeds. Just look at his life, his life's work. He worked to eradicate diseases, not just at home but around the world. He forged peace, advanced civil rights, human rights, promoted a free and fair elections around the world. He built housing for the homeless with his own hands, and his compassion and moral clarity lifted people up and changed lives and saved lives all over the globe.

Jimmy Carter was just as courageous in his battle against cancer as he was in everything in his life. Cancer was a common bond between our two families as of many other families, and our son Beau died, when he died Jimmy and Rosalynn were there to help us heal. Jimmy knew the ravages of the disease too well. He lost his father, his brother, his sisters to this terrible disease.

So when Jimmy was diagnosed, we did our best to comfort him. We met with him down in Plains. We met with him -- anyway. We talked and shared our beliefs that as a nation, we have the talent, we have the talent and the resources to one day end cancer as we know it if we make the investments. He believed that like I do.

I'll always cherish having seen Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter together. Theirs was a love affair of the ages. I will miss them both dearly. It do take some solace in that. Our kids are saying it, that they're united once again. They're going to remain forever in our hearts, but they're together again.

The entire Carter family, on behalf of the world, the whole nation, we send our whole heartfelt sympathies and gratitude. Our gratitude for sharing President Carter with us for so many years. You know, Jimmy Carter stands as a model of what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose. Life of principle, faith and humility. His life dedicated to others. You know, he was like my dad. He thought that -- he said, Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about dignity. Your dignity. By being able to look your kid in the eyes and say, honey, everything is going to be OK.

He believed, as I do and many of you do, that that's absolutely possible. It's within our grasp to do that. It's not that hard. His life, he served the nation, in the Navy. He led the state of Georgia. He became president and a beloved statesman all over the world. But to know his core, you need to know he never stopped being a Sunday school teacher at that Baptist church in Plains, Georgia.

Today's world some look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era with honesty and character and faith and humility. It mattered. But I don't believe it's a bygone era. I see a man not only of our times, but for all times. Someone who embodied the most fundamental human values we can never let slip away, although sometimes it seems like it is. We may never see his life again. We'd all do well to try and be a little more like Jimmy Carter.

You know, my mom, you've heard me say this before, used to say bravery lives in every heart. And someday it will be summoned. Every time it was summoned, he stepped up. Every time. Politically, personally, morally. And you know everything, the one thing I admired most about him, he thought and believed -- he really did believe this. And I do as well. Everybody deserves an even shot. No guarantees, just a shot.

Everybody deserves a shot, and you know I -- he gave an awful lot of people a chance. So as I said, I was an admirer. I consider myself a friend. Kept in touch with him and I was going to tell you a story his son told me. But that would be inappropriate. Maybe he should. He'll tell you. But, about he -- I think he's happy. I think he's happy with Rosalynn.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mr. President, as you think about your post- presidency, is there anything about Jimmy Carter's time after leaving office that inspired you for the years ahead?

BIDEN: Yes. Never give up hope. Never give up hope. I mean it from the bottom of my heart. So much negativism out there. I know you're tired of hearing me say it over the last four years, but, folks, there's nothing beyond our capacity, nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together. And I mean it. I mean it. And he believed it.

[19:30:02]

REPORTER: Sir, what is your fondest memory of Jimmy Carter?

BIDEN: I have a number of them, I guess, maybe my fondest memory of Jimmy Carter was when he grabbed me by arm and said, "Will you help me with my campaign, because I had only been on a couple of years as governor." He said, "No, I will a difference." He said, I am not sure, I will. I said, no, I will.

And I endorsed him, for president. I told him why I was endorsing him and that was not only his policies, but his character, his decency, the honor he communicated to everyone.

And -- but he was also very, very -- he and Rosalynn were very kind to Jill and me when we lost our son, Beau. They were there for us.

And I don't know, it is -- I think that what Jimmy Carter is an example of is just simple decency. Simple decency. And I think that's what the rest of the world looks to America for.

REPORTER: So what members of the family have you spoken to?

BIDEN: I think I've spoken to all the children. There may be some I just got off the phone with. I think there were, you know, how many on the phone, but I think and I've spoken to some of the friends of the family that are helping with the services, and my team is working with his family and others to see to it that he is remembered appropriately here in the United States and around the world.

There is a process going through that will take a little time to set up this. I announced earlier today we are going to do a major service in Washington, DC on behalf of him. But that's a formal procedure that's underway.

So I am sure we will be talking a lot to the family between now and then. My main contact is Chip.

REPORTER: -- President Trump's made for President Carter?

BIDEN: Decency. Decency. Decency. Everybody deserves a shot. Everybody.

Can you imagine Jimmy Carter walking by someone who needed something and just keep walking? Can you imagine Jimmy Carter referring to someone by the way they look or the way they talk? I can't. I can't.

You know, I think at the end of the deal here is that one of the reasons why we are looked to by the rest of the world, for the bulk of our, our nationhood, we've laid out what our values are.

We said we believe, it is not just in the declaration, we hold these truths to be self-evident, but there's a feeling the rest of the world looks to us, looks to us, and he was worth looking to.

Well, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

BLITZER: -- in St. Croix. There is the president. He is leaving that room right now. He is on vacation in St. Croix, but he decided he wanted to speak.

He spoke for about ten minutes about Jimmy Carter, very moving words. Very powerful words. Simply praising Jimmy Carter for his "simple decency and his character."

Andrew Young, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations, is still with us. I thought the president spoke beautifully about Jimmy Carter. What did

you think?

ANDREW YOUNG, FORMER US AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: They're both genuine Christians. One Protestant, one Catholic. They practice their Christianity in their government, and in their personal lives and, you know, the two of them are amongst the saints I have known in my time in government.

I went to Congress in 1972 with Joe Biden, so I've known him for 50 years, almost.

BLITZER: And he had clearly had a very special moving relationship with the late president right now and he spoke about that and I think it was so impressive speaking about Jimmy Carter's dignity, recalling that he still loved being a Sunday school teacher at his church in Plains, Georgia.

I personally was down there with him in Plains, Georgia, at that church, and I saw him enjoying speaking with young kids about faith and the importance of being a good Christian. And I think that was so important for him.

[19:35:10]

And they shared that kind of value as well. And I know you do as well, Ambassador.

Anything else you want to say about the late president?

YOUNG: No, but thanks for hearing me out. I was with Ted Turner a few weeks ago and we were reminiscing about your days on the top of the hotel or something.

BLITZER: You're talking about the first Gulf War when I was the Pentagon correspondent for CNN.

YOUNG: Yes.

BLITZER: All right, Ambassador Andrew Young, as usual, thank you so much for spending a few moments with us on this important day.

YOUNG: Okay.

BLITZER: All right so --

YOUNG: And God bless you and God bless America.

BLITZER: Of course.

We are following the breaking news and it continues. President Jimmy Carter, as I said, has died at the age of 100. We will speak to the CEO of the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. We will talk about the former president's legacy and more when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:40:14]

BLITZER: Welcome back to our breaking news: Coverage of the death today of former President Jimmy Carter at the age of 100. "Time" Magazine releasing this image showing a special magazine cover honoring the 39th president of the United States.

Messages of sympathy and grief coming in from around the world, including this from former President George W. Bush: "James Earl Carter, Jr. was a man of deeply held convictions. He was loyal to his family, his community, and his country. President Carter dignified the office and his efforts to leave behind a better world didn't end with the presidency. His work for Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center set an example of service that will inspire Americans for generations. We join our fellow citizens in giving thanks for Jimmy Carter and in prayer for his family."

That statement from President Bush.

Joining us now from Atlanta is Paige Alexander. She is the CEO of the Carter Center in Atlanta.

Paige, thank you so much for joining us. You've been with the Carter Center for four years. First of all, give us your thoughts on the passing of the former president.

PAIGE ALEXANDER, CEO, CARTER CENTER IN ATLANTA: Well, you know, as President Biden said, and President Bush, he really lived a life of service, integrity, and very much based on human rights and that decency is something that we saw while past just his four years in the White House.

And it is what he had as a vision, both he and Mrs. Carter, they set forth the work that they pioneered and will continue with the Carter Center.

BLITZER: As you know, Paige, the former president, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, in part due to his work with the Carter Center. The Nobel Committee writing this, and I am quoting now: "His decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."

What do you think are the greatest accomplishments over these many years of the Carter Center?

ALEXANDER: Well, you know, President Carter spent four years in the White House, and I consider him the most consequential president of our time. But the work that he and Mrs. Carter did at the Carter Center to eradicate diseases like the one we are working on with guinea worm when we started in 1986, there were 3.5 million cases a year in 21 countries and we are down to just nine cases this year, human cases.

And when you set your sights on something like that or on eliminating river blindness and lymphatic filariasis from the entire western hemisphere, those were the visions he had and that's the work that we will continue.

BLITZER: How do you think the Carter Center will now carry on Jimmy Carter's mission in the years to come?

ALEXANDER: You know, he set such an excellent foundation for us to build on. And I think, as he always talked about, there is a need to change during difficult times, and so that flexibility, whether it is eradicating or eliminating diseases or looking at the legacy he has from the Camp David Accords, which gave Israel and the Middle East the most important period of security we've seen in decades.

These are actions that we need to take into consideration as we move forward at the Carter Center. What would Jimmy Carter do is a question that we have over 3,500 staff people who probably ask themselves on a pretty regular basis.

BLITZER: So how can people who want to pay tribute to the former president, now the late president, how can they pay tribute to him with the Carter Center?

ALEXANDER: Well, I think investing in his lifelong work, what the Nobel Peace Prize was for and everything he and Mrs. Carter stood for, whether it was the mental health work that they did or the work in conflict resolution is supporting the work that the Carter Center does.

Now, we have up on our website the tribute President Carter had said when he approved the final statement on his passing, he had said that if you want to honor him, to contribute towards the work that the Carter Center is doing, and for us, that is our living goal is to live out his legacy.

BLITZER: I was with him at the Carter Center a few times over the years, and I saw how important it was for him. He really felt that was such an important part of his legacy indeed.

Tell us a little bit about how the late president, President Jimmy Carter saw the Carter Center. You got to know him. Give us some personal thoughts.

ALEXANDER: You know, when you think about someone who spent four years in government and in the federal government, and then he spent the next 40 years working on all of the establishment of human rights and rule of law and conflict resolution that he wanted to do at the Carter Center, all of those issues were part of and parcel of what he expected the next 40 years of his life to be like, and the legacy that we are continuing to live out.

BLITZER: And finally, Paige, before I let you go, what kind of impact did Rosalynn Carter have on the Carter Center, and what will you remember about the former First Lady?

ALEXANDER: Well, I remember her as somebody who really felt deeply and passionately about mental health. And for 50 years, destigmatizing mental health was what she wanted to do. But most importantly, the two of them together, they were a couple

that everything they did, they did together. And for me and for the majority of Americans, I imagine that is this opportunity to recognize that the power of people, whether singular or together, is incredibly important.

And they were each other's backbones and as President Biden said, the fact that they will be together again is something that gives us a lot of solace.

BLITZER: It certainly does.

Paige Alexander, the CEO of the Carter Center in Atlanta. Thanks so much for all the important work you're doing and thanks so much for joining us on this special day.

ALEXANDER: Thank you.

BLITZER: I want to continue the conversation right now with the CEO of Habitat for Humanity, Jonathan Reckford.

Jonathan, thanks so much for joining us.

How will Jimmy Carter's legacy impact Habitat for Humanity?

JONATHAN RECKFORD, CEO, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: Well, President Carter is so indelibly connected, I think with Habitat. Most people think he both started and runs Habitat, which turned out not to be true, but there is no question, President Carter getting involved with Mrs. Carter in 1984 is when the world found out about Habitat for Humanity and their engagement every year for the next 35 years really put Habitat on the map, inspired millions of volunteers.

They directly helped over 4,000 families have new or improved homes through the Carter Work Projects every year. 0But his example inspired millions. And I think the good news is that example continues, and I think so many people who have been inspired by President Carter, we hope, will continue the work.

BLITZER: So how important do you think it was that Habitat for Humanity -- how important was it for Jimmy Carter and for Rosalynn Carter that mattered as well?

RECKFORD: You know, it was so critical to Habitat. President Carter said often that Habitat for Humanity was the best way he knew to put his Christian faith into action in a very practical and tangible way. And he always said he got more out of it than anything he was able to give.

I might cautiously disagree with that, that I think their example, seeing a former president of the United States sleeping in a church basement, literally helping build homes around the world, brought out volunteers in country after country, and got so many people engaged in the work.

And so when he started just giving an example, Habitat had helped thousands of people. We've now been able to help over 62 million and President and Mrs. Carter have been such a huge piece of that.

BLITZER: Can you share with us any personal stories or memorable moments of Jimmy Carter's contributions to Habitat for Humanity?

RECKFORD: Well, you know, there are so many politicians and celebrities who want to show up for the photo and then be gone. That's the opposite of President Carter. He was legendary for his work ethic, and you never wanted to be -- people always wanted to be on the Carter house, and I would always warn them that that is an honor and a high expectation because as we used to joke, it is not a competition as long as the Carter's house was finished first.

And you never wanted to get that submarine commander blue eyed glint that you were slacking off when he was working. And so it was extraordinary.

In the Philippines, incredibly hot, the biggest project we ever did, over 2,000 houses in one week and people were exhausted. But if you didn't stay on schedule, the houses wouldn't be finished and he was going around at 7:00 at night asking people to get off the buses and keep working to make sure we stayed on track.

And I talked to a volunteer who was managing one of these tiny houses, and President Carter came in and said, "I see your toilet is not in yet." And he said, "No, sir." And he said, "Well, if I teach you how to put yours in, will you help your son next door who is on the next house getting his in?" And of course, there is only one answer to that, "Yes, sir."

And so there is President Carter in this tiny little house on a blazing hot evening in the Philippines, teaching a volunteer how to install a toilet.

And there is a short list of ex-presidents you could put in that category, I think. But I had the great privilege, really, of my life to spend a week with President and Mrs. Carter every year, somewhere in the world building.

And I think the chance to see him up front and see whether he was with some of the most powerful people or the least powerful people in the world, always the same person and that is such a great sign of integrity.

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BLITZER: Yes, I've witnessed that myself on a few occasions, covering him over the years.

How did Jimmy Carter's leadership do you think, Jonathan influenced the culture of Habitat for Humanity?

RECKFORD: You know, he served on the board when he first got involved and was deeply involved in helping establish Habitat and raise funds.

I think his example of servant leadership really inspired both the staff and volunteers of Habitat, his personal work ethic, which was extraordinary, his faith and his deep compassion and care for those in the world who haven't had access or opportunity to have safe and affordable housing and he spoke so compellingly about that.

And so I think both his personal example and his words were a great inspiration to me and for so many others.

BLITZER: And I think there is no doubt that Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter, his wife, they worked very hard with you at Habitat for Humanity to expand the reach and to help people not only in the United States, but indeed around the world, right?

RECKFORD: Very much so.

You know, we can still look to leaders in country after country and they first got involved because President and Mrs. Carter were going to visit their country, and so they inspired future board members, future donors, and future volunteers to come out and get engaged and open so many doors for us to do our work around the world.

BLITZER: And it was pretty amazing for a former president of the United States to get so personally involved in doing all of these good deeds around the world, helping people who need help, and really spending a great deal of time.

That was most of his activity, right? He spent a lot of time with Habitat for Humanity. Give us a little sense.

RECKFORD: So he would do a weekend every spring to raise funds and then would spend a week every fall, typically somewhere in the world building homes and with a huge attention to detail.

So he always wanted to get updates on what the design of the homes would be. He would do a tour with us at the beginning of the week, and then midweek, and was very focused.

And I think the part that spoke to him so deeply and certainly to us too, is at the end of every project, he would personally sign and give a Bible to each of the home buyers and he would always tear up and Mrs. Carter would tear up.

And that sense of personal connection, and that sense that out on the build site, all of the things that separate us as people suddenly don't matter quite as much. And it really spoke to both his faith, his humanity, and his caring, but to see that in person was a great privilege.

BLITZER: And I think there is no doubt that his deep religious faith contributed to that hard work that he devoted for Habitat for Humanity.

RECKFORD: There is no question, Wolf. I remember, you know, I remember very vividly actually being on CNN while he was announcing his cancer. And I remember how comfortable he was. And he said, you know, I don't especially want to die, but my faith is strong and I am ready.

And we share a Christian faith and he has been a role model in that area as well, and there was a scary, but it turned into a good thing back in 2017, we were building 150 homes for the 150th anniversary of Canada and we were in Winnipeg, Canada, all lined up for a press conference and he was working a little too hard on a very hot day, bent down to pick something up and just got a little bit dizzy.

And out of an abundance of caution, the Secret Service whisked him off to get checked. And of course, all the cameras were lined up and he called me from the car in rather grumpy that he had been pulled off the build site. And I said, what do you want me to tell the press? And he said, tell them I am fine and get back to work.

And I think if President Carter had a message for all of us, knowing as I believe that that his story is not over, that he is at peace with our God and that he is reunited with his love of his life, Mrs. Carter. And I think his message would still be, I am fine and get back to work.

BLITZER: And finally, Jonathan, before I let you go, the most important mission of Habitat for Humanity around the world is what?

RECKFORD: Habitat for Humanity is all about creating a world where everyone has a decent place to live. So work with families who can't obtain a loan or a market based loan, and create the opportunity for them to purchase a home on an affordable level that really creates an intergenerational asset for their family.

And we work across trying to lower barriers and increase access and make markets work better for families in need of decent, affordable housing.

BLITZER: Jonathan Reckford, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity. Thanks so much for all the critically important work that you and Habitat for Humanity are doing, and thanks very much for joining us. We appreciate it very much.

RECKFORD: Glad to be with you, Wolf. Thank you.

BLITZER: And this note to our viewers -- this note to our viewers, later tonight, we will have much more on the passing of the 39th president of the United States.

My one-hour special, "Remembering Jimmy Carter," our documentary, I worked hard on it for a long time, airs at 10:00 PM Eastern later tonight only here on CNN.

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And please also join me for a special two-hour "Situation Room" tomorrow, starting at 5:00 PM Eastern. Anderson Cooper will pick up our special breaking news coverage right after a quick break.

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