Handshakes, chit chats and steely looks: All the awkward interactions between presidents at Jimmy Carter’s funeral
Instances when all five living presidents come together are rare. But for Jimmy Carter’s funeral on Thursday, they were all there.
President-elect Donald Trump was the first to arrive alongside former and future First Lady Melania Trump. Barack Obama, the Clintons, Bushes and Bidens were also in attendance. Michelle Obama was the only living first lady who was absent, with reports claiming she was in Hawaii.
Outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were the last to take their seats among a sea of lawmakers and members of previous administrations. Given the funeral’s proximity to the election — and the heated rhetoric over the past few years — some notably awkward moments were spotted by those watching the service.
Trump and Pence
Trump came face to face with his former Vice President Mike Pence, and the two exchanged a few words and an awkward handshake, which is perhaps the most anyone could have hoped for given that their partnership ended with a crowd of Trump supporters calling for his second-in-command’s hanging during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Mike’s wife Karen Pence declined to shake hands with either of the Trumps.
Sitting next to Pence was Clinton’s vice president, Al Gore, who gave Trump a steely look as he walked by.
Trump and Obama
Obama and Trump, not known for being best buddies, raised eyebrows as they engaged in some friendly chit-chat and shared a few laughs at the otherwise somber event.
One user on X wrote: “Why do trump and Obama seem like besties who are gossiping about bush?”
Another added: “Obama & Trump chatting it up like old buddies and some of y’all fools skipped holiday dinners with your families over political differences.”
While we’re not sure about the nature of their conversation, no doubt Trump will post about it later today.
Kamala Harris and Jill Biden... and George W Bush
The outgoing vice president and 2024 Democratic nominee didn’t appear to acknowledge anyone as she sat down in the front row next to husband.
As the Bidens arrived, there was also a noteable lack of a greeting between the first lady and the vice president. The relationship between Biden and Harris has been “frosty” since the election defeat, according to reports.
Harris did, however, turn around for a quick chat with former President Bush and, towards the end of the proceedings, exchanged a few words with Obama.
Bush also gave Obama an amusing belly tap as he got into his seat.
The Clintons spoke mostly amongst themselves
While Hillary Clinton greeted some of the other attendees with a surprised look on her face, the former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee mostly spoke to her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Carter’s grandson gets attendees laughing
Carter’s grandson, former Democratic Georgia State Senator Jason Carter, got the attendees laughing as he told stories of his grandfather.
“His political life and his presidency, for me, was not just ahead of its time. It was prophetic,” Carter said. “He had the courage and strength to stick to his principles even when they were politically unpopular. As governor of Georgia half a century ago, he preached an end to racial discrimination and an end to mass incarceration.”
“As President in the 1970s ... he protected more land than any other president in history. Fifty years ago, he was a climate warrior who pushed for a world where we conserved energy, limited emissions, and traded our reliance on fossil fuels for expanded renewable sources,” he added. “By the way, he cut the deficit. Wanted to decriminalize marijuana, deregulated so many industries that he gave us cheap flights, and ... craft beer.”
“Basically all of those years ago, he was the first millennial,” Carter said to laughter in the room.
Carter also noted that Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were just “regular folks.”
“Yes, they spent four years in the governor's mansion and four years at the White House, but the other 92 years they spent at home in Plains, Georgia,” he said. “One of the best ways to demonstrate that they were regular folks is to take them by that home. First of all, it looks like they might have built it themselves. Second of all, my grandfather was likely to show up at the door in some 70s short shorts and Crocs.”
What “demonstrated their Depression-era roots,” the grandson said, was “a little rack next to the sink where they would hang zip lock bags to dry.”