Presidents since Eisenhower have largely refrained from publicly criticizing their successors , no matter how deeply held their objections. That tradition, like so many others, has crumbled in the Trump era. The president has been criticized, directly and indirectly, by former leaders including Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George Bush. And in an appearance at his Carter Center Retreat, 94-year-old Jimmy Carter gave one of the strongest rebukes of Trump from a former Commander in Chief yet.

"There's no doubt that the Russians did interfere in the election," said the former president . "And I think the interference, although not yet quantified, if fully investigated would show that Trump didn't actually win the election in 2016. He lost the election and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf."

When asked if his belief that Trump wasn’t placed in office as the result of a fair vote meant that he doesn’t consider him a legitimate president, Carter replied, "Based on what I just said, which I can't retract."

While it’s not been proven that Trump would have lost the election were it not for Russia’s intervention, experts agree that the country’s campaign of hacking and misinformation aided his ultimate Electoral College victory . The president has admitted as much himself. “I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected,” he tweeted last month .

During an appearance with Vladimir Putin in Japan earlier Friday, Trump seemed to joke about 2016’s election interference. After a reporter asked whether or not he intended to tell Russia not to intervene in America’s upcoming presidential contest, Trump promised he would—before turning to Putin and saying, “Don’t meddle in the election.” The Russian president smiled in response.

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WATCH: President Trump can be heard telling Russia's Putin not to meddle in the upcoming U.S. election ▶ 🔊 https://t.co/THyCggUA5Z pic.twitter.com/EbfOcKBna6 — Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) June 28, 2019

Carter has criticized Trump before, calling the president “a disaster” in a 2018 interview. Earlier this week, however, he praised Trump’s decision against proceeding with a military attack on Iran. And despite the norm towards noble ex-presidential silence, Trump isn’t his only successor that Carter’s had strong words for. Back in 2007, Carter called George W. Bush’s administration "the worst in history."

Gabrielle Bruney Gabrielle Bruney is a writer and editor for Esquire, where she focuses on politics and culture.

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