Carter's Challenge: A Presidency in Crisis

In 1976, after the Watergate scandal and the country’s withdrawal from the Vietnam War, American voters elected Jimmy Carter, a Washington outsider who had served one term as governor of Georgia, to the presidency. Mr. Carter brought a new humility to the Oval Office but, by 1980, many Americans had tired of his modest sensibility and chose not to re-elect him. As it would turn out, the qualities that hurt Mr. Carter in the White House formed the foundation of a post-presidential period that helped redefine, and redeem, his legacy in the final decades of his life.

Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, explains the life, death and legacy of former President Jimmy Carter.

Background reading: 

• Read an obituary of Jimmy Carter, whose post-presidency was seen as a model for future commanders in chief.
• Mr. Carter defied the unwritten rule of former presidents: Don’t criticize the occupant of the Oval Office.
• In a never-before-seen interview with The Times, in 2006, Mr. Carter reflected on his life and work as a leader during the Cold War, a Middle East peace broker and his post-presidential career as a citizen diplomat.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. 

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