Ford included Carter in plans | ajc.com
And a disdain for Ronald Reagan. In light of Reagan's primary attack on Ford in 1976, which most likely fatally undermined Ford's electoral bid, this is perhaps not surprising.
The two former presidents developed a friendship soon after Carter left office, starting with a long-haul flight together from Cairo, Egypt, after the funeral of the Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat, in 1981. They found a mutual interest in the presidential library system, and agreed to work on projects at each other's institutions. They compared notes on public policy and their families, and over time, their wives became friends.
And they shared a mutual rival: Ronald Reagan.
Theirs was "an open and complementary friendship, no question about it," said James Cannon, who wrote a biography of Ford.
"I think part of the reason for the bond was, both of them had been defeated by Reagan, and they shared a disregard for Reagan," Cannon said. But the friendship went even deeper, he said: "It was sincere, no question about that. Both of them had been there, and both of them had a continuing interest in what other presidents did."
Of course, Ford and Carter are not the only people who just didn't like Ronald Reagan.