Jimmy Carter said Hillary Clinton offered "a stark contrast in both substance and style" to Donald Trump. | Getty Jimmy Carter blasts Trump for lack of 'moral and ethical principles'

Jimmy Carter laced into Donald Trump on Tuesday night as someone who "seems to reject the most important moral and ethical principles on which our nation was founded."

There is a clear choice between Hillary Clinton and Trump for president, the 39th president said to the Democratic National Convention in a video message.


Carter congratulated both Clinton and Bernie Sanders for their primary race, remarking that they "comported themselves with dignity, talked about issues that matter, and presented a vision for our nation."

"At a moment when it has become more important than ever to lift people up to have a hope and a roadmap a brighter future, instead, we see a Republican presidential candidate," Carter remarked. "We can and must do better. And fortunately the Democratic nominee we’ll soon be choosing offers a stark contrast in both substance and style, and also competence and experience to what the Republicans have chosen."

Jimmy Carter blasts Trump for lack of 'moral and ethical principles' An excerpt of Jimmy Carter's remarks about Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Carter's grandson Jason provided the introduction in Philadelphia, noting that almost a year after the former president was diagnosed with cancer, he is now in remission.

"When my grandfather accepted the Democratic nomination for president, he stood before this group and said that it is time for America to speak and not with belligerence, but with a quiet strength, to defend America not with an arsenal, but with the nobility of ideas, to cover not with confusion and crisis, but with grace, imagination, and common sense," the former Georgia state senator said, invoking his grandfather's 1976 convention speech.

"Those words feel even more relevant today than they did 30 years ago," he added. "And I promise, you will see him get on the campaign trail to help elect Hillary Clinton."