Democratic political strategist James Carville recently praised former President Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 100, for his achievements while he was in office.
Carter was the longest-lived president in the nation's history.
"Now, I think it‘s just become too convenient a thing for people to say, 'Well, he was just an OK president, but he was a great man.' He was actually a very significant president," Carville told CNN's Erin Burnett in an interview Monday evening.
"It does kind of irritate me somewhat that his record is president is severely underappreciated," he added.
Carville continued, citing Carter's deregulation of the trucking industry, which made it easier for carriers to lower costs, and foreign policy wins, including brokering lasting peace in the Middle East by signing the Camp David Peace Accords.
"I know he‘s a great humanitarian, but if you want to say something bad about somebody, start out and tell them that, 'Well, he‘s a great humanitarian, but he was also a doggone good president,'" Carville, who served as former President Clinton's campaign adviser, said.
Carter — survived by his children Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy, along with 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren — started receiving hospice care in February 2023. His wife, Rosalynn Smith Carter, died in November 2023.
He served four years in the Oval Office and was defeated by former President Reagan during his reelection bid.
Carter dedicated his time postpresidency to humanitarian causes, including expanding Habitat for Humanity's work across the country and globe.
He also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”
