Jimmy Carter funeral: Highlights, key moments and attendees from his service

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was one of several world leaders who attended Carter's national funeral service. Trudeau — who sat between Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa — announced his plans to resign just days earlier amid pressure from his own allies.

Trudeau was seen shaking hands with Biden at the service. He has had a much frostier relationship with Biden's predecessor and soon-to-be successor, Trump.

Carter’s casket, draped in the American flag, was carried out of the National Cathedral. His casket will be flown back to his hometown of Plains, Georgia. There, a private funeral service will be held at the town’s Maranatha Baptist Church, before Carter’s body is interred at his residence about a mile away. The former president will be buried next to Rosalynn Carter, his wife of 77 years.

Country stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sang a rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” to honor Carter in the last minutes of the service. The husband and wife duo performed the same song at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral in 2023. 

The musicians had a close relationship with the Carters, partnering with them for several Habitat For Humanity builds over the years. In honor of Carter's 100th birthday in October, Brooks and Yearwood helped build homes for the organization's 2024 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Week Project.

At the time, Brooks posted a tribute to Carter on X, writing, "Your work has impacted the world and your heart continues to change lives, ours included."

Here's a photo of Brooks and Yearwood performing at the former first lady's funeral in 2023:

While Biden, in his eulogy, characterized Carter as being “at peace,” one could argue that Carter’s post-presidential career suggests a man who was never truly at rest while injustice and conflict persisted in the world.

Jimmy Carter's and Rosalynn Carter’s respective deaths on Sundays offer a poignant reflection of their shared faith and enduring marriage. Rosalynn died on Nov. 19, 2023, at the age of 96, with Jimmy by her side. Jimmy Carter died on Dec. 29, 2024, at the age of 100, also at his home in Plains, Georgia. These Sundays were just over 13 months apart.

The Rev. Andrew Young’s time as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Carter was just one part of a long and distinguished career. The former executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is also one of the few living confidants of Martin Luther King Jr. He served in Congress in the mid-1970s and, after his time in the Carter administration, he was the mayor of Atlanta for two terms.

In 1970, gubernatorial hopeful Jimmy Carter made a calculated move that exemplified the complex racial politics of the era: He aligned himself with George Wallace, the infamous segregationist governor of Alabama, inviting him to speak at a campaign rally. This was a shrewd choice in Georgia, where conservative white voters were resistant to racial integration. This strategy didn’t promise progressive policies, but rather played to the prevailing sentiments of the time.

However, once elected, Carter executed a stunning bait-and-switch. In his inaugural address, he boldly declared that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” This statement marked a significant departure from his campaign tactics and signaled a new direction for Georgia’s race relations.

Carter’s ability to navigate between the old guard of Southern politics and the emerging civil rights movement demonstrated his political acumen. While his campaign pandering to segregationists was never as explicit as some of his contemporaries, his pivot once in office was unmistakable. This episode foreshadowed Carter’s ability — and at times, inability — to bridge diverse constituencies.

Carter's national funeral service was scheduled to end at approximately 11 a.m. ET. But as these high-profile events tend to do, it's running behind schedule.

We still have a performance from country singers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood ahead after the Rev. Andrew Young, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, finishes delivering the homily.

In 2017, I made the pilgrimage to Plains, Georgia, to witness Jimmy Carter teach Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church. This wasn’t merely a historical curiosity; it was a profound encounter with a man who lived his faith authentically. And I wasn’t the only one; I joined countless others from around the globe.