Texas Gov Mistakenly Sends Condolences to Jimmy Carter’s Dead Wife
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott offered his condolences on Jimmy Carter’s death to his wife, Rosalynn—neglecting to take into account that she died last year.
The Republican governor released a statement saying he and his wife “send our prayers and deepest condolences to First Lady Rosalynn Carter and the entire Carter family.”
Abbott also lauded Carter for his “selfless service to the American people.”
“President Carter leaves behind a great legacy as a husband, father, naval officer, governor, and Nobel prize winner, and he will be greatly missed by many,” he added.
Two hours later, Abbott amended the statement on X to remove any mention of the former first lady, who died in November 2023, according to the Houston Press.
Followers, however, were quick to notice the difference in the governor’s deleted and re-uploaded statement.
“Did anyone in the Governor’s Office Proof the Condolence note?” a Democratic group in Texas wrote on X.
“You sent condolences to Rosalynn? What world are you living in?” another user posted.
“Guess someone around your uninformed circle realized you sent condolences to Mrs Carter who preceded President Carter,” a user wrote under Abbott’s edited post.
Rosalynn Carter died on Nov. 19, 2023 at the age of 96, shortly after entering hospice. The former president had been in hospice since February 2023.
Abbott ordered all Texas flags to fly half-mast until Jan. 29 in response to Carter’s death, in line with Joe Biden’s federal order to fly all U.S. flags at half-mast in honor of the late president.
Abbott has had similar gaffes in the past. In 2023, he reposted a satirical article about country singer Garth Books being booed off stage after calling for tolerance during a fake music festival in Texas.
“Go Woke. Go Broke,” Abbott captioned the article. “Garth called his conservative fans assholes. Good job, Texas.”
Abbott quickly deleted the post, but not before the satire website’s owner took notice.
“When I saw that, I was besides myself with joy,” Christopher Blair said in an interview with the Guardian. “He’s one of the dumbest people in the country.”
