Jimmy Carter spoke virtually at the DNC Tuesday. Here’s what he said about Joe Biden

Former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter endorsed Joe Biden in the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday.

Their appearance was virtual and their pre-recorded remarks were delivered over a slideshow.

Here’s what Georgia’s native son, 95, and his wife, who turned 93 on Tuesday, had to say:

Rosalynn Carter, who founded the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving at Georgia Southwestern State University, said the Carters have known and admired Joe and Jill Biden for many years.

“Most recently I’ve worked with him on tackling the demands faced by the more than 53 million unpaid caregivers in our country who are juggling work and other family responsibilities and putting their own physical and mental health and well-being at risk,” she said.

Biden has been there, she said. Biden lost his first wife and daughter in car accident in 1972 and his son, Beau, in 2015.

“Joe knows well, too well, the sorrows and struggles of being a family caregiver, from Joe’s time as a young widower thrust into single parenthood with a demanding job to he and Jill caring for their own parents and their son Beau at the end of their lives. He knows caregiving is hard even on the good days.”

She added that she and Biden also know the challenges of caring “for those who served in the military and returned with visible and invisible wounds. And we know those caregivers need a leader in the White House.

“Jimmy and I are voting for Joe because he recognizes the challenges facing our families and has the heart and the talent to make life better for all Americans,” Rosalynn Carter said.

President Carter noted when he ran for president in 1976, Biden, a Delaware senator at the time, was “my first and most effective supporter in the Senate.”

“For decades, he has been my loyal and dedicated friend,” Carter said. “Joe has the experience, character, and decency to bring us together and restore America’s greatness. We deserve a person with integrity and judgment, someone who is honest and fair, someone who is committed to what is best for the American people. Joe is that kind of leader, and he is the right person for this moment in our nation’s history.

“He understands that honesty and dignity are essential traits that determine not only our vision but our actions. More than ever, that’s what we need.”

In July, Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter encouraged Americans to “wear a mask to save lives” during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a photo of them masked posted on The Carter Center’s Facebook page and tweeted. The nonprofit was founded in 1982 by the Carters in partnership with Emory University.

Jimmy Carter raised the mask issue in the endorsement.

“During these uncertain times, Joe Biden realizes that many American lives can be saved each day with the use of masks and testing, as recommended by our medical experts,” Carter said. “Joe Biden must be our next president.”

Carter continues to use his influence in the political arena, having also issued written statements in past months on the death of Congressman John Lewis , on “tragic and racial injustices” and expanding access to mail-in voting.

This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 11:04 AM.