For all the valedictory moments that Joe Biden and his staff lined up for his quiet final weeks in the White House – ceremonies awarding medals to supportive celebrities and political friends, receptions and fleeting moments of reflection with the dwindling number of top aides left around – Thursday is unique.

President Joe Biden eulogized former president Jimmy Carter on Thursday as a man who “taught me the strength of character” and refused to let personal ambition or politics erode his inherent goodness,