As the world prepares for the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, the condolences offered by President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump are being politicized in news headlines. Carter passed away Sunday, Dec. 29, and swift reactions poured in, with Trump taking to Truth Social and Biden holding a press conference.
Right-leaning news outlets largely highlighted criticism of Biden’s speech.
Fox News: “Biden shredded for calling on Trump to emulate ‘decency’ shown by Carter.”
Daily Mail: “Biden uses remarks about Jimmy Carter’s death to make not-so-subtle dig at Trump.”
New York Post: “Biden ripped for needling Trump in response to Jimmy Carter’s death: ‘Unmitigated gall.’”
Left-leaning outlets largely focused on criticism of Trump’s remarks on Carter over time.
The Daily Beast: “Trump Ticks Off MAGA With U-Turn on Jimmy Carter.”
New Republic: “Trump Pisses Off MAGA Fans With Sudden Reversal on Jimmy Carter.”
USA Today: “From ‘worst president’ to ‘highest respect’: Trump softens opinion of Jimmy Carter in death.”
Biden spoke about his relationship with Carter in a speech, referring to him as a dear friend, a statesman and a humanitarian — someone the country could idolize.
“What I find extraordinary about Jimmy Carter though is that millions of people all around the world feel they lost a friend as well, even though they never met him,” Biden said. “That’s because Jimmy Carter lived a life measured not by words, but by his deeds.”
However, it was the next part of Biden’s speech that became the focus of some right-leaning news coverage, when a reporter asked Biden if there was anything incoming President Trump could take away from the late president.
“Is there anything President Trump could take away from President Carter?” the reporter asked.
“Decency, decency, decency,” Biden responded. “Everybody deserves a shot, everybody. Can you imagine Jimmy Carter walking by someone who needs something and just keep walking? Can you imagine Jimmy Carter referring to someone by the way they look or talk? I can’t. I can’t.”
Biden’s remarks, calling Carter a man of decency in response to a question about Trump, were widely reported. However, the way the comment was framed differed between left-leaning and right-leaning media.
The right-leaning outlets related the remarks back to a dig at Trump, while some left-leaning outlets reported the quote without mentioning what provoked Biden’s response.
In NBC’s write-up, Biden’s comments were presented as a tribute to Carter’s character.
“Biden, who said he was the first national figure to endorse Carter when he ran for president in 1976, lauded the former president’s character. Biden said his memories of Carter boiled down to ‘decency, decency, decency’ and Carter’s belief that everybody ‘deserved a shot,’” NBC reported.
Trump’s name was not mentioned in the NBC article.
While Biden’s remarks were reported differently depending on a news outlet’s political lean, the same was true for Trump’s tribute to Carter.
Trump posted on Truth Social: “I just heard of the news about the passing of President Jimmy Carter. Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as president understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the greatest nation in history. The challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”
In another post, Trump added: “While I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically, I also realized that he truly loved and respected our country, and all it stands for. He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my highest respect. He was a truly good man and, of course, will be greatly missed.”
These posts led to different angles in news coverage, particularly among left-leaning outlets, regarding a shift in Trump’s tone.
The Daily Beast led its article with: “Donald Trump supporters called out the president-elect for failing to ‘keep it real’ in his glowing tribute to former president Jimmy Carter following his death at 100 on Sunday. Trump’s message to Carter was a departure from his usual attacks on the Democrat, whom he had ripped into just days earlier for brokering a deal in 1977 over the Panama Canal.”
In USA Today’s article, examples of Trump’s rhetoric prior to Carter’s death were cited.
“Trump offered a far less charitable view of Carter when he was alive,” USA Today reported. “For years, Trump, a Republican, has mocked the one-term, Democratic commander-in-chief as the nation’s worst president. Just two months ago, on Carter’s 100th birthday, Trump suggested the terminally ill centenarian was happy because Joe Biden had finally replaced him as the worst president ever.”
Past specific feuds between Trump and Carter were not mentioned in the earlier right-leaning news articles covering reactions to Carter’s death.
These editorial decisions differed across news outlets when reporting on this story. The context behind Biden’s answer about Carter’s decency was more relevant for right-leaning outlets, and context between Carter and Trump’s past was more relevant for left-leaning outlets.
Right-leaning news outlets were largely more critical of Biden’s response, while left-leaning outlets were largely more critical of Trump’s response.
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