Fake Jimmy Carter death announcement spreads like wildfire on X

ATLANTA - News that former President Jimmy Carter died on Tuesday does not appear to be true.

X (formerly known as Twitter) began blowing up late Tuesday morning because of an "announcement" that appears to have been first posted by far-right political activist and internet personality Laura Loomer.

The post quickly began trending on social media, with many people retweeting it without taking a closer look. If they had, they would have noticed the multiple inaccurate statements, specifically in paragraphs two through four and especially paragraph four which contained a sexually-explicit reference to the former first lady Nancy Reagan. 

Loomer seems to have realized fairly quickly that the announcement was fake, but her tweet had already been retweeted many, many times. Additionally, a couple of news outlets published articles about Carter's death and a high-profile senator was one of those who retweeted the news before it was deleted. 

Many people began taking Loomer to task soon after the original tweet was sent out for not looking the announcement before posting on social media. 

X also began putting a warning on posts containing incorrect information as it spread across the social media platform.

It was later confirmed by the Carter Center that the former president is still alive. Mr. Carter's 100th birthday is fast approaching. He will become a centenarian on Oct. 1 and many people believe that he will still be alive on that date. 

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On Monday, Carter's grandson, former Georgia senator Jason Carter, spoke briefly about his grandfather and said he believes that Mr. Carter would have been proud of President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the race for president. 

In June, Jason Carter said that his grandfather was "experiencing the world as best he can as he continues through this process."

Carter entered hospice care in his hometown of Plains in February 2023. At that time, the Carter Center announced the 39th President of the United States "decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention."

Jason Carter said in June that his grandfather seems to be in good spirits and was facing a new phase of his life without his wife Rosalynn, who died in November 2023.

When the former president does pass away, there are very specific procedures that will be followed in announcing his death. The real announcement is expected to be made by the Carter Center. It seems highly unlikely that his passing will be leaked before it has been announced through official channels.