While most of his presidential peers appeared to casually ignore Donald Trump during Jimmy Carter’s state funeral on Thursday, Barack Obama and the president-elect looked to be getting on fabulously in the minutes before the service began.
It was one of many notable, yet subtle scenes to quickly play out in the three front pews at Washington National Cathedral where only former U.S. heads of state and their spouses were seated.
While the motorcade bringing Carter and his family to the church was arriving outside, the dignitaries arrived at their seats inside, starting with a short row of former vice presidents — Dan Quayle and his wife, Marilyn, Al Gore, Mike Pence and his wife, Karen. Former vice-president Dick Cheney and wife, Lynn, did not attend.
CSPAN video shows Trump and his wife, Melania, arriving next, with Trump stopping to greet Gore and Pence. Pence and Trump have had a very public falling out since their time in office together ended in 2021, kicked off by the latter refusing to stand with Trump in rejecting the 2020 election results.
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During the storming of the U.S. Capitol, some Trump supporters were calling for Pence’s hanging.
Karen Pence, a vocal critic of her husband’s former colleague, did not stand to greet the Trumps.
Obama is next to arrive and is led to his seat next to Trump, who appears to say “hello” as the 44th U.S. president reaches down for his program and then greets the Pences and Gore and the Quayles.
Notably absent is Michelle Obama, whom CNN reported had sent her condolences but was still in Hawaii on an extended vacation.
The former first lady and Trump traded shots in the waning days of the 2024 election campaign with her referencing his “obvious mental decline” and his response suggesting she’d made “a big mistake.”
Before Obama can finish being seated, Trump is speaking to him, seemingly about the multi-page funeral program. A few moments pass before George W. and Laura Bush arrive.
As Obama rises quickly to meet them, Bush appears to entirely ignore Trump and gives Obama a collegial and good-natured tap on the belly.
As the Bushes get seated and shake hands with people behind them, Trump appears to say something to Obama that elicits a wide smile and laugh and their conversation continues amicably for another few moments as Bill and Hillary Clinton arrive.
Everyone but Obama and the Trumps rise to greet the 42nd president and the former U.S. Secretary of State who lost to Trump in the 2016 election.
Obama and Trump keep chatting until Vice-President Kamala Harris arrives in the first row with second gentleman Doug Emhoff. Neither immediately acknowledges any of the former heads of state seated behind them, but Harris does eventually speak with the Bushes at one point.
Trump and Obama’s conversation continues briefly, with the latter nodding in agreement to something being said.
As a pre-service hymn continues, Trump is seen speaking with Melania, who smiles occasionally, while Obama then talks with Barbara Bush as President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are seated.
During both the service’s processional and recessional — when the casket is brought in and out of the church — leaders and their spouses are seen raising a right hand over their heart.
Trump does not.
As the service ends, Emhoff briefly interacts with the Trumps as Harris chats to Obama.
In a media scrum following a meeting between Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago later Thursday, Trump was asked what he and Obama discussed and admitted it did “look quite friendly,” per a Forbes YouTube video.
After seeing the interaction on TV afterward, Trump remarked that “they look like two people that like each other.”
“And we probably do,” he added, noting they have “different philosophies.”
As for everyone else seated in that area, he said they all got along “backstage” before the service.
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