Joe Biden and Donald Trump lead the charge

Joe Biden and Donald Trump paid tribute to former US President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Jimmy Carter, who died at the age of 100.

Carter, the longest-serving president in history, He died on Sunday afternoon at his home in Plains, Georgia.

Biden described him as “a man of principles, faith and humility,” while Trump said all Americans owed Carter a “debt of gratitude.”

Carter rose from peanut farmer to president in 1977, before being kicked out of the White House after just one four-year term when Ronald Reagan won the next election.

After leaving the White House with low approval ratings, his reputation was restored through humanitarian work that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, activist and humanitarian,” President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said in a statement.

“For all young people in this nation and anyone who wants to know what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose – a good life – read Jimmy Carter, a man of principles, faith, and humility,” they added.

“He showed that we are a great nation because we are good people – honorable and dignified, brave and compassionate, humble and strong.”

Biden announced a national day of mourning on January 9, when Americans are encouraged to visit places of worship to “honor” the late president.

He also ordered that flags be flown nationwide on all public and military buildings for 30 days, a period that includes the inauguration of President-elect Trump.

Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Jimmy's challenges as president came at an important time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans.”

“For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Trump previously mocked Carter's one-term campaign before his victory in this year's presidential election, and in 2019 said: “He's a good man. He was a bad president.”

This happened after Carter called Trump an “illegitimate president”, saying he was helped into the White House by Russia's interference in the 2016 election, which Moscow and Trump deny.

World leaders also paid tribute to Carter.

King Charles III said that “his dedication and humility were an inspiration to many, and I remember with great pleasure his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977”.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Carter was “inspired by his strong faith and values” and that he had “redefined the presidency with an extraordinary commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad”.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that Carter “was a leader who worked when Ukraine was not independent, yet his heart is firmly with us in the fight for our continued freedom”.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “a strong advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable people and has always fought for peace”.

Before becoming president in 1977, Democrat Carter was the governor of Georgia, a lieutenant in the US Navy and a farmer.

Carter's presidency will be remembered for his struggles to deal with severe economic problems and many foreign policy challenges, including the Iran hostage crisis, which ended with the deaths of eight Americans.

However, there was a significant victory in foreign policy in the Middle East when he helped broker an agreement between Egypt and Israel, which was signed at Camp David in the US in 1978.

But that seemed a distant memory two years later, when voters overwhelmingly preferred Republican Ronald Reagan, who had portrayed the president as a weak leader unable to deal with inflation and interest rates near record highs.

Carter lost the 1980 election by a landslide, winning only six US states and Washington DC.

After leaving the White House, he became the first and only sitting president to return fully to his pre-political home – a humble, two-room farmhouse.

He chose not to pursue the lucrative after-dinner speeches and publishing deals that await most former presidents, he told the Washington Post in 2018that he really didn't want to get rich.

Instead, he spent his remaining years trying to solve the global problems of inequality and disease.

He founded the Carter Center in 1982 to advance his vision of world diplomacy, and received the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts with the foundation to promote human rights around the world.

He also teamed up with Nelson Mandela to found The Elders, a group of global leaders committed to working for peace and human rights.

Carter is survived by his four children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

His wife, Rosalynn, of 77 years, died in November 2023.

Announcing his death, Carter's son, Chip, said his father was “a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and selfless love”.

“My brothers and sisters, we share these common beliefs with him. The world is our family because of the way he brings people together.”

As of 2018 and the death of George HW Bush, Carter was the oldest US president.

Carter stopped receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness last year and began receiving home health care. He had health problems including melanoma that spread to his liver and brain.

Another honor that came from Mr. Barack Obama, who reflected on spending time with Carter, said “he taught us all what it means to live a life of kindness, dignity, justice, and service”.

Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, where Carter taught Sunday school into his 90s, will be “a little quieter on Sundays,” Obama said.

“But President Carter will never be far away – he was buried next to Rosalynn by the willow tree down the street, his memory calling us all to listen to our better angels.”

Former US President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also spoke about Carter's faith.

“President Carter lived to serve others – to the end,” they said in a statement.