Jimmy Carter rabbit incident

The incident caught the imagination of the media after Associated Press White House correspondent Brooks Jackson learned of the story months later.

On April 20, 1979, during a few days of vacation in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, Carter was fishing in a johnboat (sometimes erroneously described as a canoe)[1] in a pond on his farm, when he saw a swamp rabbit, which Carter later speculated was fleeing from a predator, swimming in the water and making its way towards him, "hissing menacingly, its teeth flashing and nostrils flared",[2][3][4][5] so he reacted by either hitting or splashing water at it with his paddle to scare it away, and it subsequently swam away from him and climbed out of the pond.

"[9] University of Maryland zoologist Vagn Flyger rejected the idea of the rabbit attacking Carter, saying that, "If anything, he was probably scared and trying to find a dry place to get to.

"[9][10] In the spring of 1979, soon after returning from Plains, Jimmy Carter was making small talk with various White House staff, including his press secretary Jody Powell, while sitting on the Truman Balcony, likely drinking lemonade, when he mentioned the story.

[11] The Onion, a satirical newspaper, published the headline "48-Year-Old Rabbit Finally Finishes The Job" to commemorate Carter after his death on December 29, 2024.