Biden faces 'uncanny' Carter comparisons as one-term Democrat leaving amid inflation, Middle East crisis

He's a one-term Democrat who's leaving office amid domestic discontent with inflation, a Middle East hostage crisis and a Republican renegade replacing him.

"That Mr. Carter would depart the scene at this particular stage of Mr. Biden's presidency, however, evokes a certain sense of déjà vu: another one-term Democratic president whose aspirations for another term were damaged by inflation and struggles to win the release of hostages held in the Middle East before he leaves office," The New York Times' Peter Baker wrote.

Another Carter aide, Stuart Eizenstat, said the 39th president was doomed by "the three I's": intraparty warfare, inflation and the Iran hostage crisis. 

"They both faced the fact that they were dealing with divided Democratic parties," Eizenstat told The New York Times.

Biden paid tribute to Carter after his death on Sunday, calling him a "remarkable leader" and man of high character. Biden, then a young U.S. senator from Delaware, supported Carter early in his longshot 1976 bid for the White House. 

Biden is grappling with what his legacy will be as he leaves office with the Democrats in tatters and Trump ascendant. He hopes his lone term is also viewed more favorably at some point, given how some modern-day observers think Carter's widely derided presidency wasn't as bad as it seemed. 

Carter has received praise in retrospect for deregulating major industries and his efforts on conservation, while Biden wants more credit for, in his view, pulling the country out of the throes of the pandemic and signing major progressive legislation. Yet Harris' loss was a reflection on the country's economic anxieties, and Biden's pardon of his son Hunter was a blow to his reputation after his repeated promises not to do so.

National Review's Philip Klein did not join the chorus of Carter praise after his death, saying he was a terrible president and an even worse former one.

There are major differences between Carter and Biden also, not the least of which is their ages as they leave office. Carter departed at the age of 56 and had decades to pursue post-presidential endeavors, while Biden leaves the White House at age 82 as the oldest ever commander-in-chief.