Washington Examiner, December 2024
The death of former President Jimmy Carter is unlikely to provide a lengthy reprieve from political rancor as the public reflects on his record and supporters of President-elect Donald Trump note that President Joe Biden’s order for flags to be flown at half-staff has resulted in them being lowered during Trump’s inauguration. While some might expect a president’s death to unite the country, the public is too polarized to put partisanship aside and grieve together for long, according to Northeastern University political science professor Costas Panagopoulos.
“Recollections of the Carter presidency will be perceived and processed through partisan lenses, and, even if his passing brings Americans together for a brief moment, the unity is unlikely to last long,” Panagopoulos told the Washington Examiner.
