All five living presidents attended Jimmy Carter’s funeral and two of them got along swimmingly.
But the animated conversation between Donald Trump and Barack Obama – which left onlookers desperately wondering what the men were whispering and chuckling about – was the exception to an otherwise icy atmosphere.
It is the the first time all five presidents have been together since Trump won a second term in the White House. Obama and Bill Clinton campaigned heavily against him. George W. Bush declined to endorse the nominee of his party.
Still Obama, seated next to Trump, spent the time before Carter’s state funeral began by whispering to the president-elect as Melania sat nearby. Michelle Obama was not at the funeral.
‘Their body language quickly took on the form of old friends having an animated and quite intimate conversation,’ body language expert Judi James told DailyMail.com.
At one point, Kamala Harris, seated in the row in front of Obama and Trump, turned back to look at their conversation, then refaced the front and let out a long sigh. At the end of the service, she did speak to Obama for a few minutes. And Emhoff shook hands with Donald and Melania Trump.
The former presidents were all together in a private room ahead of their entrances into Washington National Cathedral. They also greeted President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden upon their arrival, according to the White House.
Ahead of the service Trump also had a cordial moment with Mike Pence, his former vice president who he pressured to overturn the 2020 election results. Pence refused and Trump’s MAGA supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6th shouted ‘hang Mike Pence.’
But the two men shook hands ahead of Carter’s service.
However, Karen Pence, seated next to her husband, pointedly refused to shake Trump’s hand, remaining in her seat.
She also snubbed Melania Trump, looking away when the incoming first lady arrived and appeared to speak to her. Then Karen Pence did it a second time, turning away when Melania appeared to reach out to try and shake her hand. Melania then shook hands with Mike Pence.
George W. Bush and Laura Bush walked into the service after Obama, followed by Bill and Hillary Clinton.
When the presidents were last together in November 2018 for former President George H.W. Bush’s funeral, the atmosphere was notably chilly.
Thursday’s gathering showed there is still evidence of some hard feelings.
The Clintons didn’t acknowledge Trump nor did Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff, who are seated in the row ahead of the former presidents.
Harris walked in looking straight ahead, not acknowledging the man who beat her in November. At one point she turned to talk to George W. Bush.
Bush, when he arrived, didn’t greet Trump. But he did give Obama a whack on the belly. And he later spoke to Trump at the end, as they were all preparing to depart.
Invited guests to Thursday’s state funeral include members of Congress, the cabinet, Supreme Court justices, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, members of the diplomatic corps and White House staff members.
Current and former vice presidents, including JD Vance, Kamala Harris, Al Gore and Mike Pence also are in attendance.
President Biden delivered the eulogy for Carter, who was a longtime friend. Biden was a senator when Carter was president.
He said Carter’s life, including his presidency, was about the importance of character.
‘Through his life taught me the strength of character is more than title or the power we hold. It’s the strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity, respect,’ Biden said.
He also shared what he learned about being president: ‘Are we striving to do the right things? What are the values that animate our spirit? To operate from fear or hope, ego or generosity? Do we show grace? Do we keep the faith when it’s most tested?’
He summed up Carter in three word: ‘Character, character, character.’
The eulogies written by former President Gerald Ford and former Vice President Walter Mondale before their own deaths will be read by their sons, Steven Ford and Ted Mondale.
Carter defeated Ford in the 1976 presidential election but the two men stuck up a strong, post-presidency friendship.
They agreed that whichever of them outlived the other would speak at the first person’s funeral. Carter eulogized Ford after he died in 2006 at the family’s private ceremony.
But Ford found a way to keep his end of the bargain.
His son Steven read from the letter: ‘During our 1976 contest, Jimmy knew my political vulnerabilities and he successfully pointed them out. Now, I didn’t like it, but little did I know that the outcome of that 1976 election would bring about one of my deepest and most enduring friendships.’
It continued: ‘We immediately decided to exercise one of the privileges of a former president, forgetting that either one of us had ever said any harsh words about the other one in the heat of battle.’
Steven concluded with these words from his father: ‘As for myself, Jimmy. I’m looking forward to our reunion. We have much to catch up on. Thank you, Mr. President. Welcome home, old friend.’
Jason Carter, the late president’s grandson, shared a funny story about the late president.
He noted his grandfather finally got a cell phone and, one day, he got a call from him.
‘On my phone it said pawpaw mobile, so I answered it. Of course I said, hey, pawpaw. He said, who’s this? I said, this is Jason. He said, what are you doing? I said, I’m not doing anything. You called me. He said, I didn’t call you. I’m taking a picture. Nuclear engineer. Right?.’
The attendees laughed in response.
Carter died on December 29th at the age of 100, the first former president to make it to the centurion mark.
Born in 1924, he grew up on a Georgia peanut farm and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy.
He entered politics and in 1970 was elected governor of Georgia.
Carter only served one term in the White House before losing to Ronald Reagan.
He became more known for his post-presidency work and established the model for the modern former president.
He founded the Carter Center and worked with Habitat For Humanity, building houses for those in need. In 2002 he won the Nobel Peace Prize.
He lay in state at the Capitol for two days where hundreds of people braved the cold, snowy conditions to pay their respects.
Before the final trip to Washington, the 39th president had been lying in repose at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta where visitors could stop by to give their final farewells.
More than 23,000 mourners paid their respects to the former president in Georgia, according to the Carter Center.
After Thursday’s state funeral, Carter’s remains will return to Georgia after the service.
He will be buried next to his wife Rosalynn in a private interment at their Georgia peanut farm. President and Rosalynn Carter were married for 77 years until the former first lady passed away in November 2023.
The U.S. Navy will fly over in a missing man formation in honor of Carter’s naval service and time as commander in chief.
Carter is survived by his four children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.