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♪ ♪ this is a cbs news special report. i'm norah o'donnell in washington. good morning. on this cold winter day, the nation is saying a final farewell to our 39th president jimmy carter. a motorcade is about the take carter's casket from the capitol to the national kacathedral, whe his funeral will begin one hour from now at 10:00 eastern. mr. carter has lane in the capitol rotunda, thousands passing by hiso pay final respects. carter died on the last sunday of december at the age of 100 years old. state funerals began nearly one week ago with his casket passing

through the town of plains, georgia, his boyhood farm and then the state capitol. then carter laid in repose in atlanta. this was a request of carter's to include the team that supported their work for peace and human rights. for more than four decades the carters have done that work. his casket flew aboard a plane from the presidential fleet and they dubbed it special air mission 39 because he's the 39th president. there was an elegant and carefully planned funeral procession with a stop at the u.s. navy memorial to honor carter's military career and then a service at the capitol. today the kacathedral will play host to yet another u.s. president's funeral. the cathedral has so much presidential history. theodore roosevelt helped lay

the foundation stone and it has hosted state funerals for presidents eisenhower, reagan, ford and most recently george h.w. bush. mr. carter delivered one of the eulogies at the ford funeral there. today president biden will give one of the eulogies at the carter family's request. you're looking at live pictures of the capitol as they begin this ceremony. let's listen in. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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>> a majestic and somber ceremony befitting the 39th president of the united states. that hymn that you heard there was "my faith looks up to thee." the body bearer team began moving down those many steps through the east front of the capitol, where president carter was the last of our presidents to deliver his inaugural address from the east side of the capitol. it's now on the west side these days. the pallbearers have brought the casket into the hearse. you can see members of the color guard there and the family watching this entire procession. and then they will make their way down pennsylvania avenue and through our nation's capital to the washington national cathedral, that grand and

beautiful cathedral one of the largest in the world where there will be more than 3,000 people to attend that state funeral, and all of our living presidents will be there. it will be incredible to see all of them together to pay tribute to former president carter. i want to bring in our congressional correspondent nikole killion there on capitol hill. >> reporter: i think what is so remarkable about this moment is i think back to two days ago when president carter's body was brought to the capitol and we watched with poignant precision as his casket was carried up the steps into the capitol rotunda. of course, we just witnessed them being brought back down. as he departs, it's just a few hours after sunrise and the dawning of a new day and really the transition in this country

as we have life after the 39th president. it is his legacy of service that brought so many to the capitol over these last few days. i spoke to a man from minnesota, who said jimmy carter was the first president he ever voted for, a grandmother with her 11-year-old grandson who's a fan of presidential history and admired jimmy carter for being a sunday schoolteacher and building homes, and a pastor i spoke with who applauded jimmy carter for wearing his faith on his sleeve. so just like in georgia, where everybody has this personal connection to mr. jimmy, so too did many people not only have personal connections, but also personal reflections on the 39th president. so whether people had an opportunity to get here to washington or not today on this national day of mourning is really an opportunity for everyone to take that collective pause, that collective beat to reflect on the life and legacy

of jimmy carter, not just a former president, but a humanitarian as well. >> so beautifully said, nikole killion on capitol hill. thank you so very much. let's bring in chief white house kro correspondent nancy cordes at the washington national cathedral. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this majestic cathedral, second largest in the united states, sixth largest in the world, was designed to be, quote, a great church for national purposes. that is exactly the role it will play today. some 3,000 people are expected to attend this state funeral. and jimmy carter will join the pantheon of presidents who, as you mentioned, have been eulogized here as well. this will be the first time since 2018 that all of the living presidents will be face to face in one room. back then it was george h.w.'s

state funeral that brought them all together there also at the national cathedral. it was a young senator biden who was one of jimmy carter's earliest supporters for president back when he was a long shot candidate. they stayed close for decades. i was there in plains, georgia, when president and the first lady paid a visit to the carters shortly before rosalynn carter passed away. president biden has been asked to eulogize president carter today. he's been asked for the carter family. two of the eulogies were actually written years ago by men who have since passed away. one is the late president carter's predecessor, president gerald ford. the other is his vice president walter mondale. in fact, ted mondale said this week that he actually didn't

know for years that his father had written a eulogy until he was contacted by the carter center. they remained close throughout their lives, and so the sons of gerald ford and walter mondale will be delivering their fathers' eulogies here at the national cathedral today, which should be a very touching moment. >> incredibly touching moment. we are going to talk about that presidential odd couple of jimmy carter and gerald ford, who jimmy carter defeated, and then they became close friends, carter speaking at ford's state funeral as well. nancy cordes, thank you so much. i do want to note too at this time as we watch the motorcade make its way to the national cathedral and we look at some of the dignitaries who are arriving, to also talk about president carter, because he overcame brain and liver cancer in 2015. i think we all know he died at the age of 100.

even my young son said he was born in 1924, mom. [ laughter ] remarkable to think about anyone who makes it to 100 years old. jimmy carter talked a lot about not only his faith, but also about his legacy, how he wanted to be remembered and also about beating cancer. after he was diagnosed with cancer that spread to his brain and liver, while teaching sunday school at his local church in plains, georgia, mr. carter spoke about how his battle for life helped mold his outlook on death. listen. >> i didn't ask god to let me live. i asked god to give me a proper attitude toward death. and i found that i was absolutely and completely at ease with death. it didn't really matter to me whether i died or lived, except i was going to miss my family and miss the work at the carter center and miss teaching sunday

school sometimes, all those delightful things. so anyway, that's what happened. so i have since that time been absolutely confident that my christian faith includes complete confidence in life after death. so i'm going to live again. >> interesting to hear him talk about that, complete confidence in life after death, that abiding faith that sustained jimmy carter through 100 years. we have an incredible team here with us today, those who knew jimmy carter, covered his administration, studied his presidency and his life after. let's start with our special guest bob shifa, who was the long time host of "face the nation." good morning, bob. good to see you again. >> good morning. it's really almost -- well, it is an honor to be here and to be a part of this.

jimmy carter was so on stage and working throughout almost a half century. he didn't just serve as president. at one time i said to jimmy carter, i said you're the only person i know who was president who did not consider the presidency the ideal high point of your life. and he just laughed. he didn't challenge that, because carter understood and what he wanted to do was hip people. and i really believe that. i believe him when he said that. >> he believed so deeply in public service. i just want to bring in now by phone president carter's personal paster tony louden. he is in the motorcade right now with the carter family. tony, thank you so much for being with us.

i know you were the personal pastor for the carters for six years. talk about what you learned from the former president. >> norah, i think the biggest thing i learned was the fact that it's not for self but for country. he was all about serving this nation all the way until the end. every time i would go to visit him, he would ask me four questions. where have you been, what have you done, who have you helped and how can i help you help them. and some days when he would have bad days and he wasn't feeling well, he'd just say, where have you been. i know that he wanted to ask all four questions, so i'd have to answer all four questions to him. he's one of the greatest serving leaders i've ever met in my life. >> that's moving, very like emotional to hear you tell that story, to so focused on the oth. i know he changed your life.

how did he inspire you? >> he forced me to take it to the next level. as ministers and preachers and people who believe in their faith, we put it on display in church in bible study, but he wanted what you learned to go outside the walls of the church, not discriminate against people, not use christianity as a way to hate other people, but look at faith without works is dead, loving people, honoring people, loving your neighbors, carrying about those who are downtrodden, even those who may not vote for you, but find a way to be able to show them compassion. and he just -- i no longer look at life the way i used to. i look at it in the way that my life belongs to our nation and this world to serve. and i hope that those that are celebrating his life today, that today is not just a celebration, but our nation, we pick up the

mantle, we pick up the legacy of jimmy carter and we take it to the next level. >> so beautifully said. what do you think about this service we're about to witness? >> yesterday i had an opportunity to go walk through the national cathedral, and i just hope that our nation, our people get an opportunity to see this great celebration of this man's life, but more importantly, our nation has come together, both republicans, democrats, independents. our leaders who have come before him, presidents before him, our supreme court justices all in this same building honoring this great man. but more importantly, i think that god and jimmy carter got together to decide that we can do this right before we select our leaders. we can do this right before we have an inauguration, and we can do this right before we have a

transition of our government so that we can put faith and hope on display in our nation. so that our nation can have confidence in our government, make our nation truly a great place where we help others and be the shining light that we've always been in this nation. >> of course, he taught sunday school himself, and he spoke the word of god, but he practices the faith too. describe how he did that. >> i remember when he fell one day right before he was supposed to go to tennessee to do his habitat build. and the secret service and staff told me to go into the hospital and tell him he shouldn't go to tennessee, but as i got there and went into the room, i said president carter, i don't think you should go to tennessee to build. he said, listen, tony, hospital

is just like prison. they're easy to get into and hard to get out. i need you to help me get out of this hospital so that i can keep my word and go build homes for those who need homes. and the most amazing thing about all that, he had this big bandage over his eye and he had a black eye, and he was determined to get to tennessee to keep his word. and i believe that all the years that he put his left hand on the bible and raised his right hand when he was a state senator, he did the same thing when he was in the navy, he did the same thing whether he was governor of georgia, and he did the same thing when he was president of the united states. in his mind and in his spirit, he never took his happened off that -- hand off that bible, because he made a covenant with god that he would serve this great nation and serve the world. and that's what he's doing today. the sunday schoolteacher has

given us a lesson on faith and hope to be the guardrails of our democracy. >> reverend tony lowden, sauch pleasure to speak with you, and thank you. our best wishes and prayers with you as well, because i know you are mourning today as well. >> thank you, norah. i lost a friend. i lost someone who i live. but we're going to celebrate his life today. thank you, laura. have a great day. >> i am overcome, because so beautifully put. >> you know, norah, one of the interesting things is as we watch the motorcade moving away from the capitol, all three of the congressional leaders who spoke when the casket was brought into the capitol for him to lie in state were all children when he was elected president.

john thune, the senate majority leader, was 16. kamala harris, i think, was about 12. and the speaker of the house was about to turn about 5. that's not an original finding by me. peter baker of "the new york times" figured that out. i thought, my goodness, what a great way to just underline how long he was so active. >> yeah. i want to bring in "60 minutes" anchor lesley stahl who served as cbs news krocorrespondent dug the carter administration. it is so good to have you with us on this historic day. you covered the president many times in his post presidency. >> when i got to the white house after bob schiffer in 1979, the country had already basically turned against him.

he had been very popular, and then he was not so popular. he lost some of what we might call the mantle of heaven. everything was going right, and then everything went bad. you know, i'm watching this and i'm thinking how sad that we have to die before people pay tribute. he deserves what he's getting, but all these years he was looked upon as a weak president. people say, oh, you don't want to be like jimmy carter if you're president. but now we're really opening our eyes to what he accomplished and to what kind of a person, a man he was. i love what the reverend said, because the country has come together, the left and the right, the whole country has come together at this very moment when we're about to inaugurate a new president in tribute to jimmy carter, who ended up in the end accomplishing so much more than

we realized when he was president. he turns out not to have been a weak president at all. he accomplished much more than we realized and you've talked about some of it. some of it was that he brought human rights into the forefront of our foreign policy. he accomplished many acts that got passed on energy. he did the camp david accords. and he stood for bipartisanship in a time -- we need to remember the spirit that he brought to the presidency. >> that's an excellent point. >> i think if he could only be alive to hear all these tributes, he'd finally have his big smile on his face, because i think he was very proud of what he did. i know he was. he talked to me about that. i interviewed him when he was 85. i think he, everybody thought,

well, that's the end. he's 85. so we talked about what he had accomplished. he went on for another 15 years and accomplished even more. >> we are watching, leslie, too inside the washington national cathedral a collection of some very special guests, al gore along with mike pence and dan quayle all talking to one another and saying hello. and we previously witnessed a number of senators. the former presidents have not arrived. they will be among the last to arrive, in part because of security reasons. but it is quite a collection of cabinet officials, lawmakers, former vice presidents, people who wanted to be president, all there as well today. the motorcade just passed by the white house. they're making these incredible stops all moments by the former

president, because this is the final farewell for jimmy carter. leslie, i want to ask you about your incredible interview you had with carter and former president ford. here carter defeated ford, and they become this presidential odd couple. what did you make of their relationship? what did they tell you? >> it was stunning to realize. it wasn't very public. so when we discovered it, there was great surprise, because they had had a contentious battle. they ran against each other, and then they became serious pals. they conferred with each other. they complimented each other. you know, these people who have been president, they have no one to talk to who understands what they've gone through with all the pressure of that position. and those two men, one obviously a democrat, the other a

republican, to become real friends who appreciated each other, complimented each other, what a symbol. what a wonderful example to set for the country, especially now, especially right at this moment in our history. we need these examples of comedy between people who disagree on fundamentals, to appreciate each other, talk to each other, compliment each other. that's the spirit of this funeral right now, to me anyway. when i hear republicans at the funeral stand up and praise this man, i found that just uplifting. >> and lesley, thank you. and one of the eulogies today is by former president ford, and it will be read by his son today, also a eulogy left behind by

vice president mondale also read by his son. let's turn to our chief correspondent robert costa. robert, as we look at this, an incredible collection of dignitaries here to remember jimmy carter. >> it's such a gathering at the national cathedral. we saw the country music superstar garth brooks, music embedded in the story of president jimmy carter going back to his presidential campaign, his boyhood. to see the former vice presidents congregating there and you also see some of the new faces of washington today, the newly elected pennsylvania senator david mccormick talking with vice president-elect jd vance of ohio. in a deeply divided town where partisanship is often the story, today the story is is american presidency and american democracy and, of course, the legacy and life of president jimmy carter, a truly american

moment in a town where politics dominates. today, the national spirit is front and center. there you see hunter biden, the son of president joe biden, just recently became a grandfather. his daughter had a son the other day in california. president biden was out in california for that. there you see vice president quayle, mike pence, a row of vice presidents. >> all executive departments and agencies of the federal government are closed except those that are necessary for the functioning. the idea, of course, is that everyone will take a moment to remember the legacy and service of jimmy carter. i want to bring in presidential historian douglas brinkley, author of "the unfinished presidency, jimmy carter's legacy beyond the white house." you knew the president and rosalynn so well, their family. what do you make of the service we'll see today?

>> lesley stahl used the phrase serious pals. the vice president that was a serious pal was al gore. i've asked president carter on two different occasions a decade apart who in american political life he admires, and al gore would always come to the very top of his list. part of it was because of the georgia/tennessee connection, southern feel. but they just got along. he did not have that kind of relationship with jimmy carter. they both won nobel prizes. carter has been remembered by winning a nobel prize, so did al gore. they're in that exclusive club. jimmy ford was another serious pal. one could say they were just making nice. no. they really loved each other.

they vacationed together, traveled together, talked to each other all the time. if you go through the papers of 1979, '80, '81, you'll see the friendship through correspondence, they were united in program after program after program. i asked president carter once about that, and i compared it to how jefferson, thomas jefferson and john adams were pitted against each other, but at the end of their lives they wrote each other with the correspondence. he said, well, we don't write like jefferson and adams do, but we're doing what we can to help people in need and show the bipartisan spirit of america. and last thing, it is a day of national mourning, and i am positive that if jimmy carter was alive today, he'd be thinking how can we end up helping the people of the palisades fire going on. he would not be blind to the suffering going on out there, and he'd be thinking of how to

rebuild or help people in need through this extraordinarily grim crisis that's ongoing. >> thank you for mentioning what's going on, of course, in l.a. county. i want to bring in margaret bre bre brennan. he had relationships with some democratic presidents. >> he did. he was put to use by those presidents where he had some frustrated relations at times, bill clinton being one of them. at times they butted heads but clinton send him on a number of missions to north korea, to other framings, because he was willing to think out of the box. i think of that biblical phrase blessed be the peacemakers. carter built a lot of his diplomatic thinking around his baptist faith certainly. as bob was talking about the age of some of those in the room, one of jimmy carter's mideast

advisors was one of my college professors and spent a lot of time teaching us about what happened in camp david accords and the thinking outside the box, in getting people to a conclusion that's politically uncomfortable. and he brought that through obviously in a way that will outlast him and his life that continues to impact and shape the modern middle east we live in today and the diplomatic achievements that came since that time and what donald trump himself believes in this presidency will potentially be his crown achievement in building on the abraham accords and building further peace. jimmy carter, we talk about the complicated politics, the awkward moments, the iran crisis, for example, but he did put in a lot of building blocks on the diplomatic front and was willing to take a lot of that diplomatic risk. i think that's something that, as you look at those in the room, former secretary of state john kerry, others, that's what they recall, the willingness to

seek piece through diplomacy. >> lesley stahl, so much too what you have pointed out is there is this view of a failed carter presidency, and yet so much was accomplished. >> so much was accomplished. for one sec, norah, i'd love to p play off something that doug said, which was that jimmy carter won the nobel peace prize. i asked him when he was 85 years old what he was most proud of when he was president. i'm going to read you what he said. he said, i'm most proud that every one of those 52 hostages that were taken by iran came home alive. i'm proud that we went through four years, his presidency, without ever firing a bullet, never dropped a bomb, never launched a missile. and he said presidents' images are enhanced by going to war. he said, i didn't go to war, and that may have been one of the reasons that people didn't

celebrate me as much, but it's what i'm most proud of. he deserved that peace prize for many reasons, but this is what he thought himself was the most important achievement of his four years. >> and there were in addition to foreign policy achievements, domestic achievements as well, douglas. >> that's right. we look back now and for one thing, in the name of conservation he doubled the size of the national park service, saved 56 million acres of wilderness in alaska, but also did things like created superfund sites, places that were toxic with debris, you had to declare them that under carter. so we knew if you were living in a sustainable place. a lot of what we call environmental justice, how poor communities are taking the brunt of industrial waste, carter was on top of that, but he also created the department of

energy, the department of education, fema was jimmy carter on the domestic front. and he brought in so many judges during his -- he didn't get ones to the supreme court, but for a one-term president, carter got more federal judges through the system, including ruth bader ginsburg, who eventually would go to the supreme court during the carter years. he doesn't get enough credit for that. and also i spoke to ralph nader yesterday. nader told me it was the last time that there was consumer protection. carter came in and started talking to consumer activists. it was still in the air then that the consumers had these sort of rights. carter was the last president to do that. and civil rights, jimmy carter was all about and the appointment of women and blacks into the administration was heroic and it predated bill clinton and predated barack obama. >> we see now the presidential

motorcade approaching the washington national cathedral, which is packed with thousands of washington dignitaries. a short moment ago we saw just in the front row there at least four of the supreme court justices, amy c amy coney barre. this is called hearst circle, but they're bringing the hearse up to the front steps of washington national cathedral. nancy cordes is there. i know she's smiling. she knows that circle well. that's our neighborhood. nancy, describe what you're seeing. >> reporter: norah, the hearse has just pulled up directly behind us at the steps of the washington national cathedral. the military honor guard is to

receive the hearse and carry it into the cathedral. but first, members of president carter's immediate family who have been traveling in the funeral procession will depart their cars. they will walk in. this is a man who had 11 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, and many of them will be serving as honorary pallbearers today, walking alongside the casket of their grandfather and great grandfather as it is carried into the church. one of the nice things about living to be 100 years old is that you have some time to think about how you'd like to be remembered, how you'd like to be honored. carter played a role in a lot of what we will see today. for example, trisha yearwood and garth brooks, two names we know well, will be singing here in

the national cathedral today. they worked with him on several habitat for humanity projects. they'll be singing one of his favorite songs, "imagine" by john lennon because it was a song about world peace. it had become a second national anthem in a lot of countries that didn't always experience a lot of peace. >> thank you. robert costa is with us as well. >> as we watch this beautiful scene unfoild at the national cathedral, the day will end in plains, georgia. you had a conversation with tony lowden. it was so powerful to see thousands late at night coming to pay their respects to president carter and thousands

wint to pay their respects at that small church to teach sunday school. you see the grandeur of the presidency in this moment, but it ends with something so symbolic of president carter's life, simplicity of faith and service that will be the finality of this important and moving day. >> this is jimmy carter's extended family now entering the cathedral. douglas. >> a couple of enterprising musical producers have taken jimmy carter's sermons and put them on a cd, and it got nominated for a grammy. president carter is up for a grammy for spoken word against cher and barbra streisand. it's a big competition. and the family has been just every step of the way here staying together as a group and doing everything you would expect the children and

grandchildren to do. i think amy carter's crying this past week was one of the emotional moments that kind of choked people up. >> very. i want to note that when president carter left office in january 1981, the carters spoke with lesley stahl about what it was like to return home to plains, georgia, after losing the election. let's listen. >> here's what you said, though, w when president clinton gave you the medal of freedom. we left washington in something of despair, embarrassment and frustration. >> that's true, we did. and we came back to plains with no idea at all of what we would do with the rest of our lives. and i realized that i had a life expectancy of 25 years or so as a 56-year-old ex-president. and we found to our amazement

and despair that we were a million dollars in debt. we had left a thriving business when we went to the white house, and it went downhill during those four years. >> in a blind trust. >> yeah. we thought we were going to lose our farms and our home, and we didn't know what we were going to have to do to repay our debt. so we huddled down and came back to plains, where we felt we belonged. >> but it does suggest there was despair, even though you don't write about it. >> there was despair, no doubt about that. >> uncertainty about the future. it didn't take us long to start planning what we were going to do. >> and what many people don't know about that part of the interview too about what a difficult return to plains it was, bob. >> well, he had put all of his holdings in a blind trust, and only when he left the white house did he discover he was not just flat broke, he owed a million dollars.

and people say, you know, why did he write so many books? he started writing the books because he had to make a living. he wound up writing 35 and we're all the better for knowing that. but that was the beginning of his literary career. >> lesley stahl is with us. it was revealing how difficult that post period was in the beginning that he turned around. >> and the most important part was not the financial part. it was what he decided to do with his life, which we all know about. people talk so much about the post presidency where he was i want to say curing diseases in africa, building homes for poor people. his post presidency was just a remarkable example for presidents and for all of us.

what a way to spend your last years. he only thought he had 25 years left. that's part of that interview that i found amusing. you know, looking back on it, he said i only have 25 years to go. he obviously decided not just to revive his family financially, but to make it meaningful to give it a real purpose, a serious purpose. you know, i just was reminded of something. he taught sunday school the whole time he was president. he would go back to georgia, go back to plains. one day i was in the pool in sunday school, and he gave a sermon, and he looked up right at me. i'll never forget this obviously. he looked right up at me and he pointed and he said, i hope you got something out of this. [ laughter ] >> you know, presidents, none of

them like the press. i just want to impress upon everybody, none of them. >> well, you certainly remember that, and we can all remember those admonitions from presidents that we cover. i just want to take a moment to just listen in to what's happening at the magnificent washington national cathedral here in washington. as nancy cordes reminded us, it's the second largest in the americas and the sixth largest in the world. ♪ ♪

>> and robert costa is with us, and we're just waiting for direction about when the next part of this procession begins where they will bring the casket inside the washington national cathedral for the services that begin in just about ten to 15 minutes from now. >> and it's a moment for the parisa pres president presidency. sources close to him have told me he's thought a lot about it. he was the first u.s. senator to endorse carter and then-governor carter in 1976. when you think about biden's career and president carter, they were both forged in the 1970s. carter goes to the convention in 1970 and thinks maybe presidential politics is something i could do.

joe biden elected to the senate in 1972, during a year of tragedy as will. they've coursed not always on the same path, but aligned for a long time. president-elect trump will be here today. it's notable that president-elect trump went to the u.s. capitol and paid his respects to president carter alongside former first lady and incoming first lady melania trump. trump said to reporters he's always had a strong relationship with carter, not a close relationship per se, but a respectful one. a former carter advisor told me about a phone call trump and carter had where they joked about they did not particularly like john bolton, trump's national security advisor. trump and carter both have their owner regularities, shall we say, when it comes to that so-called presidents club in

american political life. but they always had a relatively friendly relationship. president trump will be there today. >> it is called the world's most exclusive fraternity. five of those presidents and former presidents will be there. nancy cordes is outside the white house. nancy. >> reporter: i was just thinking as robert was talking about donald trump and his relationship with jimmy carter that that's notanotable. you know, trump is not always a welcome presence at some of these events. i'm thinking in particular of the late senator john mccain's funeral that was also held here at the washington national cathedral, where it was made known that mccain did not want trump to be here. they had a famously fractious relationship. but the carters, on the other hand, made it very clear when rosalynn carter passed away a

little over a year ago that they very much hoped that melania trump would be among the other first ladies, current and former, who attended her service. so a family that always looked for inclusivity. i think it's also notable as we've heard douglas and lesley talking so eloquently about carter's lifelong relationship with his vice president walter mondale, that's something that shouldn't be taken for granted either. there are several presidents in that cathedral right now who famously did not and do not have great relationships with their former vice presidents. president clinton and vice president gore, we're told are not particularly close. we believe that president-elect trump and his former vice president mike pence actually haven't even been in the same

room since they left office in 2021. so they're coming face to face for the first time in four years there in the cathedral today. the dean of the washington national cathedral spoke to reporters yesterday. he said he had the opportunity to meet late president carter when he was a teenager. he said that carter was famously punctual, which is something that can't be said about all presidents. so they are going to try to honor his punctuality today by keeping the service to time, which they say is something that carter would have wanted. so we anticipate that, if everything goes as planned, the service will last about an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half. >> thank you. yes. the dean of the cathedral saying you're watching history unfold when you come to these funerals. it's not only an opportunity for

people to remember a president, but also to watch the people that are honoring him that have gathered here for that very moment. douglas, you knew the former president so well. people like to hear these anecdotal stories. i can remember i interviewed him. he was 96 years old. we knew he was punctual. we were ready to go. at the last moment there was a little bit of a mechanical problem. that punctuality never ceased to leave him. >> because you you know that about the punctuality, but by human nature you might be a minute late. he was very down home in one way, but also an intimidating seniority. if you walked in a moment late, you would get the glare. >> is that the submariner in him? >> it was the military in him. since he joined the naval

academy in 1943 and continued with the naval career, there's no room for a second wrong when you're on a submarine in typhoon weather. >> we are watching now some of the former presidents enter, including president-elect donald trump. there's members of the carter family as well and president-elect and the former first lady melania trump have entered. this is probably the beginning of some of the presidents. you see al gore shaking his hand. wow. and mike pence. >> wow. >> that is probably the first time the two men have shaken hands since january 6th. >> i think lesley said i don't think they've been in the same room together. >> robert, you've done so much reporting about that relationship, not to diverge from the story of the day. >> but they did just shake hands.

for president-elect trump and former vice president pence, a moment where they could come together as two people who served this country. there's former president barack obama. they did not have a long exchange clearly, trump and pence, but that exchange and that handshake. who knows where it leads or what it means, but there was a handshake. we all remember what happened in january of 2021. this is january of 2025. >> bob, interesting to see al gore, former vice president, right next to mike pence, two vice presidents who found some common drive despite party difference, having both presided over the certification of elections they lost. mike pence recently being quoted as talking about a conversation with al gore where al gore said i really respect you, and pence saying i drew on your example. >> and this an extraordinary moment as the president-elect sitting next to barack obama.

>> you think about in 2016 during the transition these two men barack obama, donald trump, two presidents had a bit of a chilly exchange. everyone was bewildered in the democratic party by trump's selection. there's former president george w. bush. >> who did not shake trump's hand. and the first lady, former first lady laura bush. >> but this is the way it's supposed to be. this is the way america operates. one president is elected and then another and they go on and move forward. >> remember melania trump went to the rosalynn carter's funeral. she represented the trumps there. while jimmy carter politically didn't care for donald trump, they did have a little bit of a personal relationship of talking

about issues of the world from time to time. and once president trump visited with carter in new york. >> look how appropriately former president george w. bush stands to welcome the former first lady hillary clinton and president clinton. >> we have not seen president bush interact with president trump or president clinton. >> we have not. and we can see other members of the presidential family. i see chelsea clinton sitting next to some of the biden family back there. some of those faces you may not recognize are secret service agents that are sitting very close, because this is a national security event. >> the one behind president-elect trump was famously behind president-elect trump during the assassination attempt in butler, pennsylvania. >> i do want to mention, margaret too, we're looking at former president of the united states, but there are world dignitaries as well. duke of edinburgh sitting next

to justin trudeau. >> the recently resigned prime minister of canada, justin trudeau is there. right behind him i saw earlier the former prime minister of the united kingdom gordon brown as well. there are ambassadors representing their countries encircling that entire area. i think i saw the korean ambassador, the monegasque ambassador. it is paying tribute to the united states, to the passing of a commander in chief. countries that may not have been in the forefront of a diplomatic breakthrough -- i haven't yet seen middle east ambassadors there. i've seen mainly european and asian. his legacy was pretty significant. in asia, he built upon what richard nixon had done with that breakthrough with china and helped to normalize diplomatic relations with the people's republic after 30-odd years of

refusal. >> and to note too, he did press hard on the issue of palestinian statehood. >> he did indeed. he did. you know, i was re-reading this book "peace process" that his mideast advisor wrote, and the recounting of being in the room and pressing ing him to make s tough calls and saying i'll go public. we've heard so many times the story about him calling on the sole morality and responsibility to the future generations presenting those photos of the grandchildren. but there were some hard moments too. >> you know, carter was often criticized for micro managing. they said even if you wanted to play on the white house tennis court, you had to go through carter. he approved everybody who went there.

when you go to the camp david accords, that was micro managing when it really worked. it wouldn't have happened if not for his micromanaging. >> you talk about the precision he had on timing that made the diplomacy possible. >> you can't help but witness this incredible collection of vice presidents, presidents, wannabe presidents. >> this is a snapshot of the complexity of american politics and especially the american presidency. you see president barack obama huddling right there with president-elect trump. i've spoken to president-elect trump many times over the years about president obama. let's remember it was trump who questioned obama's love of country and credentials with the birther crusade years ago. but also trump has told me over the years he respected politically how president obama was able to win the presidency as a movement candidate, an

outside r candidate in 2008. some trump advisors said that model inspired to a point the trump campaign of 2016. vice president kamala harris, president bill clinton. >> i know lesley stahl is with us. >> norah, i'm watching the ceremony here. someone before said that president carter had written down, expressed what he wanted in these ceremonies. i'm a little amused, because when he was president, he didn't want to have these ceremonies, what we call depumped the office. he didn't want "hail to the chief" played by the trumpeters every time he walked in the room. he got rid of that. he realized that was a mistake. the public wanted to see the trappings of the presidency.

and so he had to put that back in to the regular course of his day when he was president. and he's come around to realize it obviously in the way this is a traditional ceremony so that we can see the transition that takes place in our country from president to president to president and the importance of bringing all these people together. i was struck by the fact, i think douglas said that president carter wanted the trumps to be there. he wanted all the past presidents to come together and honor him, celebrate. he did so many things, as i said, to depomp the presidency. it was kind of amusing at the time. he used to carry his own