>> john: kayleigh, thank you so much. a life look at emory university, president biden and all five living first ladies are bidding farewell to rosalynn carter. >> sandra: rosalynn's beloved husband jimmy carter is expected to leave hospice care to attend the memorial service. set to get underway any moment now. >> john: married more than 77 years, the nation's longest married presidential couple and since her death, tributes from across the country have been praising rosalynn's decades of work, better mental health care and integral role in her husband's political rise and time in the white house. karl rove, former white house deputy chief of staff and juan williams, fox news senior political analyst. karl, the fact that jimmy carter is coming out of hospice care to say good-bye to his beloved wife puts a cap on what is an extraordinary love story here as well as a political one. >> absolutely. they knew each other as children, they married early, and she was an integral part of everything that he did in public service, from his first race for the georgia state senate, his failed governorship race, return to success and the first winning race for governor, presidency, and his time after the presidency. she was not only his wife, but also a key adviser and helped shape his career and his life after the white house. played an extraordinary role for our country both as first lady and advocate for mental health. lots of people have enjoyed greater and better lives and many people have been saved from suicide by her active involvement in helping allow us as a country to have an open dialogue about mental health and offer solutions to it. >> sandra: really interesting, karl. thank you for that. juan, president biden and first lady jill biden, long time friends of the carters', will lead the list of dignitaries. we know bill clinton, hillary clinton, along with first lady melania trump, michelle obama, and laura bush will be there to pay their respects in person. your thoughts in this moment as we await the ceremony there in atlanta? >> sandra, i thought it was really important what you just said about the presence of so many former first ladies across the political aisle. you know, it was rosalynn carter who created the office of the first lady at the white house. she was the first first lady to have a press secretary and left notes for mrs. reagan, you know, their successor, with regard to how to conduct the white house to make it a national treasure, especially this christmas season. we keep in mind that yesterday the bidens decorated the house in such a way and again it was rosalynn carter who had the idea you had to maintain this white house in a very specific honored way for the imagination of the american people. i remember when i first came to washington, this was 1976, just after they were elected, and you know, one thing that stands out is as a young man i was told no hard liquor in the white house. they only made u.s. brand wines available and less in the way of state dinners, more in the way of picnics, and this was rosalynn carter who was then really known as, i'm not sure it was known publicly, but as steel magnolia, she was quite charming and low key in her tone and her southern accent, but in terms of white house personnel and her own agenda and her influence on president carter, she was known as a steely presence. that's why she was nicknamed steel magnolia. >> john: and came from humble roots as we know and she never forgot where she came from, even though she walked the hallowed halls of the white house. karl, jimmy carter entered hospice care in february of this year, and at the time, suffering from brain cancer, we thought perhaps he doesn't have that long to live, brian kemp the governor of georgia along with the first lady of georgia. he hung in there, turned 99 and grandson jason said he's coming to the end and he's very, very physically diminished but i think he was proud and happy that he was there for her, rosalynn, until the very end and he wasn't going to miss this for anything. and you have to wonder, karl, as we were talking about, the fact that they have known each other since they were kids, they were married for 77 years, jimmy carter, despite his declining health, hung in there so that he could be there for rosalynn in this moment. i mean -- that's an incredible story. >> yeah. what a sweet commentary on their relationship and think about it. he was 22, and i think she was 19 when they married, extraordinary life and they both came from humble circumstances, lived in plains, georgia and what was interesting was when they finished their time in washington, where did they go? back to plains, georgia. not atlanta, they were active in the carter center in atlanta but they lived in the house that they had built as a young couple in plains, georgia, as he ran the family's peanut business, and a remarkable story, but i agree with you. i could just see the former president who she was a steel magnolia, but he also had rather firm opinions as every president who followed him found out because jimmy carter has not been afraid to make his opinions known, particularly on the international stage regardless of what the current administration may think at the time. >> sandra: fair enough point, juan. karl, great point. juan, to that point looking back at the carters' marriage, one for the record books. married in 1946, 77 years together makes them the longest married presidential couple in u.s. history. their grandson, jason carter, is set to speak there today in atlanta. he has said my grandmother in addition to being a partner to my grandfather was a force on her own. jason, their grandson, a former state senator and one time democratic nominee for governor called her the best politician in the family. distinction that jimmy carter never disputed. >> i don't think many people would dispute this. when you talk about her in terms of that official role, you can't get away from the fact that she was the first first lady since eleanor roosevelt to testify in congress, and this gets back to what karl was talking about in terms of her willingness to talk about mental health issues, to talk about reaching out to americans who may be dealing with drugs and other issues, and there she was in front of the congress making testimony that had impact, travelling to go visit foreign countries even to carry that message, and of course, again, picking up on what we have been saying, even after the white house, working on mental health issues, creating fellowships at the carter center in atlanta for journalists and others, dealing with mental health and caring issues. and even beyond that, obviously, and i think this is the most famous, wearing those construction hats with jimmy carter as they went to work to build housing, you know, hospice for america. so yeah, habitat for america, excuse me. >> john: passed away in hospice care in plains and she was then transported to the carter presidential library in atlanta where she lay in repose and karl, over the course of time that she was there, hundreds upon hundreds of people came by to pay their respects. usually you hear that for a president or a very famous politician. not so much for a first lady that shows the admiration people in georgia had for her. >> thousands of people. and she was a very open and accessible person. she was as the first lady of georgia, she was as first lady of the united states, and even in her years afterwards. she was a visible figure on the scene, mental health, habitat for humanity, the work of the carter center in promoting peace around the world, these were things that were important to her husband and they were important to her and may have been important to her husband because they were important to her and she played a very public role but a very open person. people in atlanta told me it was not uncommon to see her at public things in earlier years after they left the white house when she was more active. but marvelous human being and great example for our country. >> sandra: as jimmy carter kwiped recently to the associated press, 2021, said my wife is much more political than i am. and bill clinton also in attendance there today, they will be, at least, attendees are expected to include vice president kamala harris, her husband, jill biden as we mentioned, the former figures lady, secretary of state hillary clinton, laura bush, michelle obama, melania trump, as we just saw walk in a moment ago, the governor, brian kemp has arrived with georgia's first lady marty kemp. mayor dickens of atlanta also expected. none of them are expected to speak. this is going to be, we are told, a focus on the family, and her memory, juan. they are going to reflect on mrs. carter's taste we are told for simple elegance over modern glitz, and it will very much be, juan, a personal message about the former first lady. >> i think all of us could be honored if our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren chose to speak at our funerals and i think that's what we are going to see today is family speaking about personal love. the kind of love that mrs. carter demonstrated when she went to visit her husband of 77 years while he was in hospice, he went into hospice in february and still survives as we speak, you know, age 98. but it was rosalynn who went to visit him and i remember hearing from him about their fishing contests, sandra, and that she was not just kindly sitting there while he was fishing, but they would have competitive fishing contests and that she was a better fisherman than that southern georgia kid, jimmy carter. so you have a sense this relationship and the fact of family speaking today tells you something about, you know, that the essence of her was as, you know, you can't redeem the kind of love that is reflected in the success of a family. >> john: juan, we were speaking a moment ago with karl about the idea that jimmy carter's family firmly believes that he hung in there despite his declining health and problems in order to see his wife off. jimmy carter has defied the odds. diagnosed with brain cancer mid 1990s and has survived it this long. at some point we will be telling his story, and hopefully it's not going to be for years to come, it would be great to see him celebrate his 100th birthday. but as the case with ronald and nancy reagan, inseperable couple, and she was very much the person who protected him and supported him, compare that relationship to the relationship jimmy and rosalynn had. >> she protected, the case with rosalynn carter and with mrs. reagan, nancy reagan, they saw themselves there as a companion and protector for someone who was in the public spotlight and a spotlight that can be excrutiatingly brash and harsh. so the difference would be that mrs. carter was not one to have the kind of public, you know, los angeles, california type of presence that mrs. reagan did. mrs. reagan knew celebrities and invite people in and quite the celebration, state dinners took on a new significance with nancy reagan in town. with mrs. carter, it was kind of the flip in that yes, she's protective and looking out for jimmy and she's representing jimmy and she's in front of congress, but she's always trying to play it down, kind of in the background a little bit. and at times, nancy reagan was in the foreground. >> sandra: reading directly from her family statement upon her passing rosalynn's carter's deep compassion for people everywhere and untiring strength on their behalf touched lives around the world. we have heard from thousands of you, her family says, since her passing. thank you all for joining us and celebrating what a treasure she was, not only to us, but to all humanity. stand by if you could, juan and karl. we are going to go to our senior correspondent steve outside the memorial service in atlanta for us. steve, what is the scene like there? >> sandra, beautiful fall morning here and thousands of people are really lining the roads here trying to get a glimpse of what they can outside of glenn church here on emory university. you mentioned star-studded ensemble of people here. remarkable for rosalynn carter who left plains, georgia, population 600 at age 18 and now coming to honor and remember her. three u.s. presidents, five current and former first ladies, so really an incredible turnout for her and a testament to all she achieved. jimmy carter after her death said she was my equal in everything i achieved. i owe -- we did it all together. really giving her a tremendous credit and he paid credit to her in office as well, giving her a very important task, she sat in on cabinet meetings as well, had her own staff. so, really, someone who despite really humility transformed the role of first lady in the white house as well and really getting her due today with people coming to see her and pay their respects to her. sandra. >> sandra: a beautiful story she leaves behind and so many of the residents say she made it a better place. one georgia resident saying she gave so much back to the community, to our world. steve -- go ahead. >> john: steve, one of the last times we saw even a photograph of president carter and rosalynn is whether joe and jill biden went and visited them in plains, that was a number of years ago. as juan pointed out. he had hospice care in february, not seen since and if he does attend today's memorial, today's tribute service, the first time he's been seen in public a long time. have you confirmed he's going to be there? his grandson said he was going to make the trip from plains up there, that he wanted to send rosalynn off in a big way, that that would be potentially one of the last things that he does, at least publicly. do we know if he is actually going to be there today? >> we do know he's in atlanta, he made the trip up 120 miles north from plains. we do know if he does attend, he won't speak. but keep in mind, 99 years old, has been in hospice care for the past ten months, and family members say he is in frail condition. but you've got to think with every ounce of his strength he wants to make this, be there for her and share in the honor and remembrance of his wife of 77 years. john. >> john: get back to us if you spot any more folks continuing, seems to be a bit of a delay here in the event getting underway. put the picture back up a second ago, there is the photograph, the perspective is a little odd here, joe and jill were a little forward, which gives the appearance of being of enormous size compared to the carters, a lot of people thought that was humorous, but one of the last photos, and jimmy is in great spirits there as he's welcomed by jill and rosalynn carter, looking fantastic beside the president. we will be following this to see when all of these dignitaries will arrive. >> sandra: indeed, their seats are saved. karl, a moment ago we were remembering that when they left the white house in 1981, it was their decision to head back to plains, to go home, about 120 miles south of atlanta. jimmy carter, as we remember when he entered hospice care, this was in february, 99 years old, a series of hospital stays he did have, you look at the outpouring of support from that local community that they chose to return to after they left the white house. people from across the state, since her passing, they have made their way to plains over the past week to celebrate her life and her legacy as that town of several hundred say their good-byes and that was really a moving show of support, so many paying their respect, right there locally. go ahead, karl. >> jimmy and rosalynn carter intimately, knew them as friends and neighbors and for a long, long time. one thing i want to pick up from our earlier conversation, take a look at these presidents and their first ladies. something that all those first ladies, whether it is nancy reagan, rosalynn carter, barbara bush, laura bush, melania trump, jill biden, that is they are strong women. maybe part of the success of their husbands due to the fact they had the smartness to pick a partner in life who was strong and with opinions and careful counsel and good advice, maybe that's the reason why these men rose to the nation's highest office, they were fortunate to have strong women as rosalynn carter as their partner. >> john: look back over the histories of the white house, eleanor roosevelt, lady bird johnson, and rosalynn carter, nancy reagan, barbara bush, laura bush, so many as karl pointed out strong women have been in that position, and when it came to rosalynn carter, did she look back on her predecessors and say either i'm going to model myself after that, or i'm not going to take any cues from that, i'm going to be my own person. >> i think she took some cues. remember, i mentioned earlier that she was the first first lady to testify in congress after eleanor roosevelt, but she was also influenced by bess truman, she actually died at 97, older than the 95 today here for mrs. carter. but i think that for her it was the country's been through turmoil, they are coming after watergate and all that, and all the arguments over -- and she saw the first lady as part of this kind of, you know, calming influence on the nation, that the first lady should reassure people the white house is here, the government is steady, and we are steady and we talked about this love thing before. i think the love thing is very important, that she is standing by her husband, karl spoke about, you know, strong women. i think that's exactly on target. sometimes we don't focus on that because the husbands are in the spotlight, but boy, she was just strong, tenacious and very much determined as a protector of her husband. and by the way, do you know that jimmy carter's mom, miss lillian, delivered mrs. carter? >> john: didn't know that. >> she was a nurse, miss lillian was a nurse, rosalynn, then, by the way, named eleanor rosalynn smith was born, the woman delivered her was miss lillian who came over from plains. >> john: that's incredible. >> sandra: the church in atlanta, the tribute service at glenn memorial church in atlanta, falls on the second of a three-day schedule of public events celebrating the former first lady who died november 19th at her home in plains, georgia at the age of 96. karl, she died peacefully, we were told, at her home there, age 96, 2 days after the carter center announced she was entering hospice care at home. as we reflect on her life, karl, obviously it is being highlighted as it should. she was a tireless advocate of mental health reform and made this her mission in life to tackle the stigma around mental illness and she improved a lot of people's lives by doing so. b in the 1960s and 1970s, mental health and impact on families and lives and question of suicide, these were things we did not talk about and she bravely stepped forward to talk about these issues, first as the first lady of georgia and then first lady of the united states and as i say, began a national dialogue that has saved, we don't know how many families, how many lives have been saved by the efforts of she and others who were courageous to talk about it and talk about it openly. >> john: let's take a pause here and we'll take in some of this as the president and the first lady come in, and outside, former president bill clinton and former first lady hillary clinton in the front row, i believe melania trump and michelle obama are there as well. we have the family arrayed on the steps of emory university there, with the pastor, tony loudon, as the honor guard from the u.s. military will carry the casket in. let's pause for a moment and take this all in. service will begin. sandra, that was quite a scene there with jimmy carter being brought in to say good-bye to his beloved wife. he has not been seen in public for a long time now, as his grandson j