GAI President and bestselling New York Times author Peter Schweizer says it’s certainly worth remembering former President Jimmy Carter’s post-presidential humanitarian work; he helped build affordable housing all over the world through Habitat for Humanity.
However, there is one post-presidential Carter anecdote that often goes overlooked. Schweizer wrote about it in his 2003 book Reagan’s War.
An excerpt from Reagan’s War:
The attacks on Reagan were both harsh and shrill. Averell Harriman, a former ambassador to the Soviet Union and adviser to five presidents, declared openly in the New York Times that Reagan’s defense policies were so dangerous that “if permitted to continue, we could face not the risk but the reality of nuclear war.” Former vice president Walter Mondale, who would challenge Reagan for the presidency in 1984, claimed that he had “ceded the moral high ground to Moscow.” Senator Edward Kennedy explained that Reagan and his advisers “are talking peace in 1984 as a prelude to making war in 1985.” Senator George McGovern proclaimed that he felt secure knowing that Yuri Andropov was in charge at the Kremlin, because unlike Reagan, he would prevent a war. “I think we ought to be very thankful that this man Andropov seems to be a reasonable guy and somewhat restrained. Because certainly the Reagan-Weinberger approach is one of intense confrontation. It’s almost as though they were spoiling for a military showdown.” Senator Ernest Hollings of South Carolina echoed that sentiment. It wasn’t the Kremlin that scared him; it was Reagan.
These were of course the sort of criticisms that were common in American politics. But Soviet offcials were encouraged by the fact that similar opinions were being quietly whispered to them by some American leaders. Former president Jimmy Carter dropped by Soviet ambassador Dobrynin’s residence on a day in late January 1984 to discuss the state of the world. Carter was concerned about Reagan’s defense buildup, Dobrynin recalled. The former president went on to explain that Moscow and the world would be better off with someone else in the White House.
Schweizer shared a brief mention of Carter’s “appalling conduct” in a post on X.
Schweizer’s original post below:
Yes, it is worth remembering Jimmy Carter’s humanitarian work, especially Habitat for Humanity. But also remember this: In January 1984 he went to visit the Soviet Amb. as a private citizen and urged the Soviets to do what they could to ensure Reagan didn’t get reelected.…
— Peter Schweizer (@peterschweizer) January 9, 2025
So remember Carter for his humanitarian efforts — but not every post-presidential move he made was beyond reproach.
