President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited the 39th president, Jimmy Carter, and his wife, Rosalynn, while in Georgia Thursday to mark his 100th day in office.
The 96-year-old former president and the 93-year-old former first lady were unable to attend Biden’s inauguration because of the coronavirus pandemic. Both couples are now vaccinated, and the Carters have resumed worshipping in-person at their longtime church.
“The president and the first lady have a long-standing friendship with President Carter and Mrs. Carter. President Biden actually spoke to them the night before inauguration,” White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said aboard Air Force One. “Since they’re both in Georgia, they wanted to stop by and say hello.”
Biden was a young Delaware senator and Carter ally during the Georgian’s term in the White House, from 1977 to 1981. Carter is now the longest-lived American president in history.
Later in the evening, Biden attended a drive-in rally in Atlanta on Thursday to mark his 100th day in office, which came a day after his first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday evening.
The rally was hosted by the Democratic National Committee, and Biden will be joined by local leaders, including Stacey Abrams and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
At the rally, Biden praised Georgia voters for their role in his election and the election of two Democratic senators in January, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
Biden also pitched his major infrastructure package, which includes the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan.