Mondale in last message to staff: ‘Joe in the White House certainly helps’

Former Vice President Walter Mondale penned a farewell letter to his staff that was sent after his death on Monday, Axios first reported, in which he gave a nod to President Biden.

Mondale told his current and former team in the note, “I wanted to let you know how much you mean to me. Never has a public servant had a better group of people working at their side!”

“Together we have accomplished so much and I know you will keep up the good fight,” he continued. 

Mondale also gave a nod to the Biden administration, adding, “Joe in the White House certainly helps.” 

The note was sent to 320 staffers who spanned four decades, according to Axios.

He shared in the note that he is “eager to rejoin Joan and Eleanor.” His wife, Joan Mondale, died in 2014, while the couple’s daughter, Eleanor, died at the age of 51 in 2011.

The former vice president died on Monday of natural causes at the age of 93. He was in his Minneapolis home surrounded by family.

Prior to serving as vice president during former President Carter’s single term in the White House, Mondale represented Minnesota in the Senate for 12 years.

Later, he served as ambassador to Japan in former President Clinton’s administration. 

Carter remembered Mondale as “the best vice president in our country’s history” in a statement on Monday.

Statement from Jimmy Carter on the passing of Walter Mondale is below. pic.twitter.com/SOqAmTSYo6

— The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) April 20, 2021

“During our administration, Fritz used his political skill and personal integrity to transform the vice presidency into a dynamic, policy-driving force that had never been seen before and still exists today,” Carter shared. “He was an invaluable partner and an able servant of the people of Minnesota, the United States, and the world.”