Donald Trump's Tribute to Rosalynn Carter Raises Eyebrows

Donald Trump's tribute to Rosalynn Carter has prompted some to question whether he wrote it.

The Carter Center said the former first lady died at the age of 96 on Sunday after living with dementia. She "died peacefully, with family by her side" at 2:10 p.m. at her home in Plains, Georgia, the statement said. Jimmy Carter, the former Democratic president and her husband of 77 years, has been in hospice care for several months.

Trump, who is leading the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, was among those who paid tribute to Rosalynn Carter, describing her as a "great humanitarian" and "champion for mental health."

"Melania and I join all Americans in mourning the loss of Rosalynn Carter," he wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.

"She was a devoted First Lady, a great humanitarian, a champion of mental health, and a beloved wife to her husband for 77 years, President Carter.

She "earned the admiration and gratitude of our entire nation," Trump added.

"From her days as a U.S. Navy spouse, to the Georgia Governor's Mansion, to her tenure as First Lady of the United States, and her later work at the Carter Center and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, she leaves behind a legacy of extraordinary accomplishment and national service. Our prayers are with the former president, the Carter family, and the entire community of Plains, Georgia, that she loved so much!"

The warm tribute prompted some on social media to question whether the post was written by Trump, noting the lack of spelling errors and difference in the tribute and the language Trump usually uses on social media. The former president has a history of spelling mistakes and typos in social media posts, and rarely has words of praise for Democrats.

"Trump expects people to believe his Rosalynn Carter post came from him when it's the first one in months written without any grammar or spelling errors," Ron Filipkowski, the editor-in-chief of the liberal outlet Meidas Touch, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Trump posted a "normal" tribute to Carter "with no misspellings, grammatical errors, typos, insults, name-calling, or weird capitalization," wrote Mike Sington, a former NBCUniversal executive. "Obviously he didn't write it."

Others said Trump had mocked Jimmy Carter at a rally in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Saturday, a day after Rosalyn Carter entered hospice care.

Jimmy Carter is "the happiest person anywhere in this country right now... because his administration looked brilliant compared to these clowns," Trump said at the rally, while criticizing President Joe Biden. He posted an article about the comments on his Truth Social page several hours before the tribute to the former first lady.

"What's stunning about Trump is, yesterday in Iowa, he mocked President Jimmy Carter," one X user wrote on the platform.

"Today Roslyn Carter died, and he and Melania send their condolences and praise for this great first lady. He only did it to make himself look good since he's running for President. Hypocrite."

Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesperson, told Newsweek on Monday that "these individuals making this disgusting claim have a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome and need professional help."