White House preps lawn to commemorate Jimmy Carter’s 99th birthday

The White House is paying homage to former President Jimmy Carter ahead of his upcoming 99th birthday Sunday.

A special installation that reads “Happy Birthday President Carter” has gone up on the White House’s north lawn, according to a photo posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The tiered red, white and blue wooden cake display also has 39 candles — a nod to the 39th president, according to the White House Press Office.

Several birthday events scheduled for the former president have been pushed up to Saturday amid the looming possibility of a government shutdown Sunday — including a party at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.

His birthday is especially notable as his grandson, Jason Carter, has recently said he believes the former president and first lady Rosalynn Carter, 96, are in their final stages of life. Carter entered hospice care earlier this year while Rosalynn has been diagnosed with dementia.

The Carters were spotted at a Georgia festival last weekend in what appeared to be a black SUV — a rare public outing for the couple.

“Beautiful day for President & Mrs. Carter to enjoy a ride through the Plains Peanut Festival!” read a post from The Carter Center. “And just a week before he turns 99. We’re betting peanut butter ice cream is on the menu for lunch!”

The news also comes after President Biden announced earlier this year that Carter asked him to deliver his eulogy.

“I spent time with Jimmy Carter, and it’s finally caught up with him, but they found a way to keep him going for a lot longer than they anticipated,” Biden said in March.