No, Georgia’s Jimmy Carter isn’t dead. Fake death announcement tricks some online

A death hoax involving former President Jimmy Carter has been making its way around social media and seems to have fooled some, despite clear lewd comments and criticisms in the letter.

The hoax document is headed with an emblem that says it’s from the “Office of Jimmy Carter” and proceeds to be critical of policies and events in the Carter presidency including the Iran hostage crisis, and relations with the Soviet Union and China.

The hoax alleges that Jimmy Carter passed away at 1:34 a.m. Tuesday at his home in Plains.

The fake letter later refers to Rosalynn Carter as “a baddie” and “the original Brat” while making a lewd remark about the late former First Lady Nancy Reagan.

A spokesperson for the Carter Center confirmed the letter was false.

The hoax seems to have fooled some, including Utah Sen. Mike Lee whose personal account, @BasedMikeLee, posted and since deleted a tweet that offered his “thoughts and prayers” to Carter’s family. The Republican senator’s post featured the fake letter, according to a post from Business Insider senior politics reporter Bryan Metzger.

Metzger’s post has garnered over 425,000 views. Trending topics on X, formerly Twitter, showed more than 20,000 posts about Carter had been made.

The hoax included a misspelling of the word “being” which is spelled “bweing” in the letter. The hoax also features a quote purporting to be from James Earl “Chip” Carter III that states, “He will be missed not only by our family but by the American people and our enemies around the world who thrive today because of his peace-through-weakness agenda.”

How old is Jimmy Carter?

Carter is 99 years old, and has been in hospice care more than a year. He will turn 100 in October.

The Democratic president was in the White House from 1977 to 1981. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, lived to be 96 before she died in November.