In Jimmy Carter's Village, Trump in the Spotlight

In the town of Plains, in the American state of Georgia, former Democratic President Jimmy Carter is the local star , who grew up and lived in the area. Yet, judging by the signs in front of the houses, Donald Trump is stealing the show.

It is not uncommon to see them planted next to other signs celebrating Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday, an unprecedented occasion for an American president.

But this loyalty to the White House tenant between 1977 and 1981 in no way marks membership in the Democratic Party or support for Kamala Harris for the presidential election on November 5.

Jimmy Carter “always loved this city, loved the people and loved this place,” Mitchell Smith, who grew up in Georgia (southeast) a few kilometers from Plains, explained to AFP.

The 48-year-old man, who says he has family who knew the centenarian president, nevertheless assures that he will vote for Trump.

“There's nothing in the Democratic platform that I can identify with,” he says.

The two former presidents are contrasting in style: Trump is known for his bombast, while Carter was known for his civility.

“Trump is not really my cup of tea personality-wise, but I have the same political views as him,” said Mitchell Smith, who runs a religious nonprofit.

White evangelical Christians typically tend to vote Republican, while African-Americans tend to vote Democrat. Both categories are well represented in Sumter County, where Plains is located.

Portraits of Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter on October 1 in Plains, Georgia, during a concert for the former US president's centennial © AFP – CHANDAN KHANNA

For nearly two years, Jimmy Carter has been receiving end-of-life care in the modest home that the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former peanut farmer shared in Plains with his late wife Rosalynn.

His family recently said he wants to stay alive long enough to vote for Kamala Harris on November 5.

– “They love him” –

In Plains (population about 600), there is no shortage of reminders of Jimmy Carter. There is this wacky peanut statue that sports the former Democratic president's smile or this large banner in the city center honoring him.

Rick Pape (right) and his wife visit the town of Plains to mark the centennial of former US President Jimmy Carter, on October 1, 2024 © AFP – CHANDAN KHANNA

Even his home, surrounded by a high fence and guarded by the Secret Service, is a stop for tourists.

The other houses around it display signs supporting Trump. The same is true near his former high school or the historic town center.

The signs for Harris are comparatively few.

A niece of Jimmy Carter, Kim Fuller, points out that one of her closest friends is a “staunch Trump supporter.” “If he comes and you talk to him about Vice President Harris, he'll leave,” she warns.

That didn't stop the man from stifling a tear of nostalgia when he recently spoke with her about Carter, according to Fuller.

“People who have Trump signs get offended if you tell them it's disrespectful to (Carter), because by and large they love him,” the former president's niece and Georgia governor continued.

Sumter County voted 52% for Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, as did a few other counties in southwest Georgia.

A peanut statue with Jimmy Carter smiling in Plains, Georgia, on February 20, 2023 © AFP – Brendan Smialowski

“It's surprising they tolerate Trump signs in this area,” jokes Rick Pape, 76, a tourist visiting Plains this week for Carter's 100th birthday.

Georgia is one of the states that will decide the fate of the election in almost a month and where Harris and Trump are battling to convince the still hesitant voters.

How would Jimmy Carter take it if his hometown had gone over to Trump's cause? “He wouldn't like it,” replies his niece Kim Fuller. “But he would respect it.”

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