Donald Trump said Thursday he didn’t realize how friendly his chat with Barack Obama at Jimmy Carter’s funeral appeared to those watching.
The president-elect, who was fielding questions from the press at Mar-a-Lago while surrounded by Republican governors, told Fox News’ Peter Doocy the two “probably” get along well.
“It did look very friendly, I must say. I didn’t realize how friendly it looked. I saw it on your wonderful network just a little while ago before I came in,” Trump said. “And I said, ‘Boy, they look like two people who like each other.’”
The two were seen talking for more than five minutes after greeting each other with a handshake before the start of Carter’s funeral Thursday morning in Washington, D.C. At one point, Obama could be seen laughing at something Trump said, with Trump smiling as well. Kamala Harris, who did not shake the hand of any of the former presidents as she entered, even turned her head to look at Trump and Obama as they continued their discussion.
“We probably do [like each other],” Trump continued. “We have a little different philosophies, right? But we probably do—I don’t know. We just got along. But I got along with just about everybody.”
Trump famously pushed the “birther” conspiracy theory that Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii, and has often jabbed him by calling him “Barack Hussein Obama,” his full name. Obama has also attacked Trump, mocking his “obsession with crowd size” and saying on the campaign trail in 2024 that he wants to be “king.”
Trump and Obama were seated next to each other at the funeral due to the absence of Michelle Obama. The former first lady, who cited a scheduling conflict, opted to stay in Hawaii on an extended vacation rather than sit next to Trump.
“We met backstage, as you know, before we went on,” Trump continued. “I thought it was a beautiful service. But we all got along very well, which is good.”
During the service, though, at least one high-profile attendee seemed to give Trump the cold shoulder: Karen Pence. The wife of his previous vice president didn’t acknowledge him when he entered the pew in front of her and her husband.
