“He’s a nice man. He was a terrible President,” Trump said of Carter in 2019. “He’s been trashed within his own party. He’s been trashed.”
And now, nearly half a century later, it’s like we’ve all jumped into a time machine. The U.S. mired in a seemingly endless conflict with Iran. Oil prices shooting through the roof. Inflation and tepid job growth spurring fears of a recession. Even the long lines are back—Carter had them at gas stations, Trump has them at airports.
It’s not a comparison Trump would find particularly comforting. After all, Trump continued to harp on Carter’s as a failed presidency even in the months after his death.
“Jimmy Carter died a happy man,” Trump said in April of 2025. “You know why? Because he wasn’t the worst. President Joe Biden was.”
For his part, Carter was no Trump fan but he nevertheless extended grace to his successor, praising Trump in his first term for calling off a planned retaliatory strike against Iran in 2019. “I agree with President Trump on his decision not to take military action against Iran,” Carter said in the days that followed Trump’s restraint. “I had a lot of problems with Iran when I was in office.”

















