Donald Trump Talks About the Late Jimmy Carter During a Meeting With Italian Prime Minister

During a recent meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Donald Trump stirred controversy by making dismissive remarks about the late former President Jimmy Carter. While reflecting on his own presidential record, Trump shifted from trade policy to scathing commentary on past administrations.

He boasted about imposing tariffs globally, contrasting his “successful” trade tactics with what he described as the failures of his predecessors. “We were treated very unfairly on trade,” he said, claiming past presidents either lacked business knowledge or simply didn’t care about it. He referred to previous administrations as “useless,” “incompetent,” and even accused them of “chea:ting in elections.”

However, it was his comment on Carter that ignited a firestorm online: “Jimmy Carter di:ed a happy man. Do you know why? Because Joe Biden was the worst president, not Barack Obama.”

Social media exploded in response, with users calling his remarks “disrespectful” and “unprofessional.” One user wrote, “So sad to see our president like this.”

Carter, who passed away recently, had once strongly criticized Trump, calling him “a disaster” in 2018—particularly on issues of human rights and equality.

Though Carter remained mostly quiet about Trump later in life, his earlier words now feel especially resonant in light of Trump’s inflammatory remarks.