Barack Obama and Donald Trump looked disturbingly friendly at Jimmy Carter’s state funeral
one minute, President Barack Obama To be calling President-elect Donald Trump oldsaying “If your grandfather acted like this, you would be worried,” referring to him as “a damn crazy person,” And took the stage to criticize him at the Democratic National Convention. The next minute, he appeared to be laughing at the guy’s jokes and chatting intimately with the once and future President Trump.
Obama and Trump sat next to each other at Thursday’s state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter, who died in hospice on December 29, 2024, at 100 years old. All five living former presidents—George W. Bush, Bill Clintonand current president Joe Bidenin addition to Trump and Obama—attended Washington National Cathedral to show their respect. Although these functions often have a boy-girl-boy-girl seating plan, Michelle Obama unable to attend the ceremony, meaning while Melania Trump Sitting in the outer aisle of the pews, Barack and Donald were right next to each other, with neither spouse in sight.
When asked about her absence, Michelle Obama’s spokesperson said: Vanity fair“Former First Lady Michelle Obama was not present at President Carter’s National Funeral. Mrs. Obama sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family and all those who loved and learned from the remarkable former President.”
Except for Obama, all the wives of former presidents attended the ceremony with them. Former Vice President Trump Mike Pence and wife Karen Pence were also present at the ceremony, which marked the first time Pence and Trump had met publicly since the January 6 riots, as was Trump’s 2024 opponent, the Vice President. Kamala Harrisand her husband Doug Emhoff.
Based on the history and years of parity between these two pairs—Trump is the source of the birthplace myth and believes that Obama is not qualified to lead the country; Obama calls Trump a “racist, sexist pig”—it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the two sitting next to each other in stoic silence. Instead, they seemed to be having an intimate conversationeven shared a laugh. Harris sat in the row in front of the couple, looking straight ahead. When Bush, his wife Laura Bush Sitting between her husband and Obama, facing his chair, he completely ignored the Trump family and greeted Obama with a friendly wave as he passed his successor.
A social network user Compare Obama to a parent entertaining a child “or they become irritable or maybe even whine,” while another pointed to this interaction as evidence of How “not serious”. That’s the Democratic Party. Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin interpreted it as Obama “kissing the ring” because “Trump is the most famous man in the world.” Sir, please share your sources and whatever you took that prompted such a flight of fantasy. Of course, we have no way of knowing what the two actually said. It could easily be a “laugh at” situation rather than a “laugh at” situation and yes much that can be told through clenched teeth forming a camera-ready smile. Try it: You don’t even have to show your teeth to tell someone to go to hell, if you’re determined to do it.
Carter, who will be buried in his native Georgia in a private ceremony on Thursday afternoon, voted in his final presidential election in 2024, casting his ballot via an absentee ballot for Harris. His family told the press that while in hospice, Carter said he was “just trying to vote for Kamala Harris.”
Representatives for Barack Obama and Donald Trump did not immediately respond Vanity fairrequest for comment by.
