Debunked: Fabricated Claim of Jimmy Carter’s Death on July 23 by ‘Office of Jimmy Carter
Debunked: Fabricated Claim of Jimmy Carter’s Death on July 23 by ‘Office of Jimmy Carter A fabricated screenshot of a letter allegedly from the office of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter surfaced online, falsely claiming Carter passed away on July 23, 2024. The creator of the post admitted to Reuters that the letter was fake, aiming to test how easily sensationalist headlines spread on social media.
A spokesperson from the Carter Center refuted the claim, stating, “This is false. There has been no announcement or change.” The screenshot showed letterhead reading “The Office of Jimmy Carter,” dated July 23, 2024, asserting that the 99-year-old passed away at his home in Plains, Georgia..
Despite circulating online, the letter did not appear on the Carter Center’s official website or any other credible sources. President Carter, who has battled health issues and entered hospice care in February 2023, recently appeared publicly at a memorial service for his late wife, Rosalynn Carter, in November.
The initial appearance of the fabricated letter was traced to a post on X, where the creator revealed it was an experiment to highlight the spread of misinformation without verification. The letter itself contained telltale signs of its falsity, including a typo and a fictitious quote referencing a meme unrelated to Carter.
The creator clarified that the hoax was not intended to harm Carter or his family, expressing admiration for his contributions to the nation and global democracy.
(Updated on July 23 to include response from the creator of the fake letter)
