Jimmy Carter defends Trump in a wide-ranging New York Times interview

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October 22, 2017 7:01 PM

Former President Jimmy Carter opened up about his views on politics and cultural clashes in the Trump era.

In one of his first major interviews since President Donald Trump took office, former President Jimmy Carter opened up about his views on politics and cultural clashes in the Trump era.

Speaking with New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd in a piece titled "Jimmy Carter Lusts for a Trump Posting", Carter opined on a number of political topics:

said he would serve as a liaison to North Korea

And although the former president said Trump was exacerbating racial tensions, Carter also repeatedly defended the current president:

Some political pundits on the Sunday morning talk shows speculated whether Carter was positioning himself for a job in Trump's administration by complimenting the president in the press.

Carter has regularly made his opinions on politics known since leaving office, even if they have gone against the grain of the leaders of both parties.

He clashed with former President Bill Clinton (who blamed Carter for his gubernatorial reelection loss) and though he supported Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election, the 39th president voted for opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary.

He also famously irked former President George H.W. Bush by loudly opposing the Gulf War.

In recent years, Carter has lamented the influence of money in politics, criticizing Democrats and Republicans for taking campaign contributions from wealthy interests.

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