Biden formally announces Jimmy Carter’s death and orders flags lowered for 30 days

President Joe Biden issued a December 29, 2024 proclamation formally announcing the death of former President Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States. The proclamation honored Carter’s military service, governorship, presidency, human-rights work, peace efforts, and post-presidential public service. It ordered U.S. flags flown at half-staff for 30 days at federal buildings, military posts, naval stations, U.S. embassies, and other federal facilities. The action mattered because presidential death proclamations are part tribute, part civic ritual: they formally notify the country, set mourning practices, and mark how the federal government remembers former presidents.