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What Jimmy Carter’s genuine belief in humankind can teach us
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While “From a Peanut Farm to the Presidency” often serves as the standard description of Jimmy Carter’s political career, reducing his life to those two hallmarks does a disservice to a legacy seeped deeply in humanity and a sense of genuine compassion.
In his attempt to exemplify one of his favorite biblical passages, Ephesians 4:32, which says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God gave you,” Carter stood as a beacon of honesty and decency in our divided American body politic.
At a time when cynicism, division, mistrust and a greater sense of apathy seem to dominate our national discourse, Carter’s life should remind us of what is possible when we lead with principle, tolerance and a steadfast belief in the power of honest dialogue.
President Jimmy Carter addresses a town meeting in Elk City, Oklahoma, March 24, 1979. (Getty Images)
Running for president in the shadow of the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon’s ultimate resignation, Carter’s 1976 campaign revived hope in government and extended to the electorate a belief in unwavering integrity.
WHAT JIMMY CARTER CAN TEACH US ABOUT LIFE AND OUR LEGACY
Carter kept his famous pledge to never lie to the American people, all at the cost of his re-election in 1980. His candor, unique to a city where people play politics and twist the truth, was not a political tactic but an expression of his deeply rooted Christian values.
Many of today’s politicians continue to express these values under the evangelical banner. However, for Carter, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and lieutenant in the Navy’s submarine division, truth was not negotiable. Instead, it was the foundation of leadership that appeared throughout his years in government service.
Carter’s political career started in the Georgia state Senate. That’s where he, a Plains business owner, father and avid churchgoer, rose to national prominence by embracing complexity and navigating change while not losing his sense of self.
JIMMY CARTER PROVIDED A MODEL FOR THE POST-PRESIDENCY
When Carter ran for governor of Georgia, he recognized the profoundly entrenched divisions in his home state. He understood the art of politics – not as a tool for manipulation but a means of bringing people together. He reached across ideological lines to earn the trust of Georgia’s segregationists, not to pander but to create an opportunity for dialogue and, ultimately, transformation.
Once in office, Carter set out to dismantle segregation and champion civil rights, proving that political courage can coexist with pragmatism. This unique bridge-building ability extended well beyond Georgia and defined Carter’s presidency. Whether he was negotiating the Camp David Accords between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin or promoting human rights on the global stage, Carter showed that diplomacy and conversation could achieve what threats and ultimatums could not.
JIMMY CARTER, PIONEER OF THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT
His belief in dialogue was rooted in faith – faith in God, humanity and the moral arc of the universe bending toward justice. This belief in the power of the American people pushed Carter to establish the Department of Education and the Department of Energy.
Carter also uplifted and empowered women in government service. He set the stage for President Bill Clinton, decades later, to elevate Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the U.S Supreme Court and Alexis M. Herman as the first African American U.S. labor secretary, by nominating Ginsburg, then an American Civil Liberties Union attorney, to the U.S. Courts of Appeals and appointing Herman, a former women’s and civil rights leader, as director of the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau.
While stagflation and a months-long hostage crisis cost Carter his chance at re-election, he served as a global humanitarian outside the White House, driven by his unshakeable faith and unwavering belief in what is possible when folks come together.
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Pushed by purpose and undergirded by a belief in equity and justice for all the world’s people, Carter, as a global citizen, helped provide treatment for Guinea worm disease, river blindness, malaria and other ailments. Through his work at the Carter Center, he tirelessly promoted peace, free elections worldwide, and dialogue in Haiti and Cuba.
Earning a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter has taught us all that leadership is not confined to titles and terms but measured by actions and impact.
In today’s polarized political environment, Carter’s life provides a roadmap for healing. He showed us how to lead with humility and grace, engage in conversations even when they are uncomfortable, and prioritize the common good over personal ambition.
At a time when compromise is often viewed as a weakness, Carter’s example reminds us that finding common ground is an act of strength. President Jimmy Carter’s story is ultimately a story of faith – in America, in humanity, and in the idea that we are stronger when we are united.
As we mourn his passing, we must also celebrate his legacy by embracing his values – honesty, integrity and a relentless commitment to justice. We must remember that dialogue is not an admission of defeat but a declaration of hope.
RICHARD FOWLER
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Southeast
Federal judge releases four illegal immigrants convicted of murder, sex crimes from ICE Custody
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A federal judge in Louisiana has released four illegal immigrants with lengthy rap sheets that include convictions for murder and child sex crimes from law enforcement custody earlier this month.
On Feb. 6, Judge John deGravelles, an Obama appointee who sits on the bench for the Middle District Court of Louisiana, granted the four defendants release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, the Department of Homeland Security said.
“The ramifications will only be the continued rape, murder, assault, and robbery of more American victims,” said Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Releasing these monsters is inexcusably reckless. President Trump and Secretary Noem are now enforcing the law and arresting illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country.”
EXCLUSIVE: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASED UNDER BIDEN ‘CATCH-AND-RELEASE’ ALLEGEDLY KILLS DRIVER IN POLICE CHASE
A federal judge in Louisiana released Ibrahim Ali Mohammed, Luis Gaston-Sanchez, Ricardo Blanco Chomat and Francisco Rodriguez-Romero, all illegal immigrants with convictions for various violent and sex crimes, from ICE custody last week. (Department of Homeland Security; Getty Images)
“We are applying the law as written,” she added. “If an immigration judge finds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them. Period.”
The four defendants include Ibrahim Ali Mohammed, an Ethiopian citizen convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor. An immigration judge issued him a final order of removal on Sept, 5, 2024.
He was released into the United States by the Biden administration.
DHS HONORS ILLINOIS WOMAN WHOSE CORPSE WAS ALLEGEDLY ABUSED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FREED UNDER SANCTUARY LAWS
Judge John W. deGravalles sits on the bench for the Middle District Court of Louisiana. (U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana )
Luis Gaston-Sanchez, from Cuba, has convictions for homicide, assault, resisting an officer, concealing stolen property and two counts of robbery.
An immigration judge issued a deportation order for him on Sept. 24, 2001.
The entrance to the Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as “Angola,” was seen in October 2013. (Giles Clarke/Getty Images)
Ricardo Blanco Chomat, also a Cuban citizen, has convictions for homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault with a firearm, burglary, robbery, larceny and selling cocaine.
A deportation order was issued for him on March 27, 2002.
Francisco Rodriguez-Romero was previously convicted of homicide and a weapons offense. He was ordered to be deported on May 30, 1995.
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In Sept. 2025, DHS announced a partnership with Louisiana to expand ICE detention space at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison. The facility, dubbed the “Louisiana Lockup,” houses some of the criminal illegal immigrants arrested by ICE.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Middle District Court of Louisiana for comment.
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A Florida man faces seven felony charges after being arrested last weekend following a road rage incident, according to authorities.
Blackie Alvarez, 33, of Bonifay, Florida, was arrested after allegedly pointing a handgun at another driver during a road rage confrontation, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
At around 1 p.m. on Feb. 8, police responded to a report of a man pointing a firearm at drivers while traveling north on U.S. 331 in DeFuniak Springs.
‘PROTECTOR’ FATHER OF NINE SLAIN AFTER MINOR CRASH SPIRALS INTO DEADLY ROAD RAGE CLASH
Blackie Alvarez, 33, was arrested after allegedly pointing a handgun at another driver during a road rage incident in Florida, authorities said. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office)
Police located the white Ford Explorer, and the driver — later identified as Alvarez — exited the vehicle and removed a black handgun from his waistband, which he placed on top of the vehicle.
Two metal knuckles were also found in Alvarez’s pockets, police said.
Investigators said Alvarez began speeding and honking at the victims, who told deputies that Alvarez sped around them before coming to a complete stop in front of their vehicle, where he allegedly pulled out a firearm and pointed it at them.
Alvarez refused to speak with investigators, police said.
EXCLUSIVE: FBI CAPTURES LONGTIME FUGITIVE IN HONDURAS IN CONNECTION WITH 2000 KILLING OF PHILADELPHIA GIRL
Blackie Alvarez faces multiple felony charges after authorities say he pointed a handgun at another driver during a road rage confrontation. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office)
Alvarez was charged with two felony counts of false imprisonment, two felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one felony count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, two counts of unlawful carry of a concealed weapon and driving without a license.
Alvarez also had an outstanding warrant in Bay County, Florida, for failure to pay child support.
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A Florida man was charged with multiple felony weapons offenses following an alleged road rage incident on Feb. 8, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office)
He was taken into custody and held on a $235,000 bond, police said.
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Former President Joe Biden will be feted by South Carolina Democrats later this month, to mark the sixth anniversary of his Palmetto State primary landslide, a comeback victory that rocketed Biden to the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and later the White House.
But with many Democrats still smarting from their party’s major 2024 election setbacks, fueled in part by a very unpopular Biden presidency and the then-president’s dropping his re-election bid amid serious questions about his physical and mental abilities following a disastrous debate with now-President Donald Trump, the South Carolina celebration appears to be an outlier.
As they seek office in gubernatorial and congressional races in this year’s elections, nine candidates who served in the Biden administration appear to be keeping their distance from the former president, according to a new report from Axios.
POTENTIAL 2028 CONTENDER SHAPIRO KNOCKS BIDEN’S RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
First lady Jill Biden and then-President Joe Biden await the arrival of then-President-elect Donald Trump at the White House on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Biden ended his presidency with approval and favorable ratings well underwater, and the 13 months since he left office have not apparently healed the damage done to his standing among those in his own party.
“Biden remains a liability,” a veteran Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital. “Being associated with the Biden administration is doing some candidates no favors as they run this year.”
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That’s a switch from the 2018 elections, the previous midterm cycle when Trump was in office and the Democrats were out of power, when former President Barack Obama as well as then-former Vice President Biden were in demand on the campaign trail.
Then-former Vice President Joe Biden is flanked by his wife Jill and Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, as Biden gives his victory speech following a landslide victory in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary on Feb. 29, 2020. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News )
Among those not highlighting Biden this cycle is Deb Haaland, a former House member from New Mexico who served as Department of the Interior secretary in the Biden administration and is now running for governor in the blue-leaning state. The former president isn’t mentioned on Haaland’s campaign website.
Another example is Xavier Becerra, who served as secretary of Health and Human Services under Biden and is now running for California governor. The former president isn’t mentioned in Becerra’s campaign launch video.
IT’S EARLY IN 2026, BUT THE 2028 WHITE HOUSE RACE IS WELL UNDERWAY
But some Biden alumni running in solidly blue areas are mentioning their service during his administration. That includes Democratic congressional candidate Sanjyot Dunung, who is seeking office in Illinois 8th District. She mentions in her launch video that she served on Biden’s foreign policy working group.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is considered a potential contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
It’s still too early to tell if the former president could end up being a drag on potential 2028 presidential contenders that served in his administration. Both former Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are seen as possible White House contenders.
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For Democrats hoping Biden stays out of the limelight, the former president has mostly obliged. Biden has only made a handful of high-profile public appearances and sat for just a couple of major interviews since the end of his presidency.
Fox News reached out to Biden’s post-presidency team for comment, but didn’t receive a response at the time this story was published.
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