Those tuned in to broadcasts of former President Jimmy Carter‘s funeral Thursday morning may have caught a few unusual moments as the cameras panned across a star-studded dais of mourners, including all five living presidents. As political powerhouses such as George W. Bush, Joe Biden and Bill Clinton took their seats, many of their interactions were clipped and shared online, resulting in viral political memes. One moment that seemed to receive the most attention was a jovial discussion between 44th President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump. Despite the bad blood the pair had had with each other for the last decade, both men smiled and laughed as they exchanged words before the services began. Vice President Kamala Harris even took note and seemed to sigh in frustration after turning to catch a glimpse of the pair.

Needless to say, onlookers from all over the world have been baffled by the interaction, leaving many to wonder what the pair could possibly have been discussing so lightheartedly. Online jokes and memes have circulated with some humorous suggestions, quoting some of the more brutal insults Trump and Obama have exchanged from stages over the years. While there’s no way to know for sure what was said during the funeral, multiple lip-reading experts have weighed in, offering a possible explanation for what Obama and Trump could have been discussing. To get a full scope of the morning’s events, let’s briefly unpack the bizarre discussion between the two heads of state, and see what else we can learn from the behavior of those in attendance.

What Was Obama Laughing About?

Though professional lip readers have offered possible breakdowns of the conversation, it’s hard to say what Barack Obama found so humorous about his interaction with the 34-time convicted felon. One professional London-based lip reader, Jeremy Freeman, suggested that the men may have been discussing matters of critical importance and American foreign policy. Freeman, who has served as a forensic lip reader and analyst for police, journalists and researchers at University College London, suggested that Trump began the discussion by saying, “I’ve pulled out of that. It’s the conditions. Can you imagine that?” If this is the correct reading, we can surmise that the once and future commander-in-chief is referring to his decision to pull the United States out of landmark deals such as Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal or the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement.

Trump’s decision to pull away from these deals has been widely criticized by the international community as well as the Democratic Party, so it’s tough to say why this would make Obama smile. The lip reader suggests that Trump then added, “I can’t talk, we have to find a quiet place sometime. This is a matter of importance and we need to do this outside so that we can deal with it, certainly, today.” If Freeman’s reading is correct, Obama then replied, “Listen to me, it’s a chore, a chore,” prompting Trump to state, “Yeah, right. I can’t think of anything that’s a chore.” Reps for Barack Obama have not shared any information about the former president’s discussion, though Trump himself spoke on the conversation during an interview with Fox News. According to Politico, Trump explained, “It did look very friendly, I must say. I didn’t realize how friendly it looked… We have little different philosophies, right? I don’t know, we just got along.”

Why Wasn’t Michelle Obama Present at Carter’s Funeral?

Though each of the five living presidents was in attendance at the National Cathedral in Washington, there were a few notable absences. Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served under George W. Bush and recently made waves for his vocal support of Kamala Harris, was not in attendance. Far and away, the largest absence was felt by former First Lady Michelle Obama. Once the friendly chit-chat between Trump and Obama went viral, many commenters joked that Michelle wouldn’t have been happy to see one of her family’s most vocal antagonists chumming up to her husband. According to an unnamed source close to the Becoming author, Mrs. Obama was not in attendance due to an unspecified scheduling conflict. Instead, her presence was required at her and Barack’s Hawaii home, leaving Barack to represent them both at the historic funeral.

Though Michelle has been a vocal opponent of Donald Trump, she likely would have found some solace in the seating arrangement if she had gone to the funeral. The former First Lady has frequently been seen cozying up to George W. Bush at public events of the last several years, even referring to him as her “partner in crime” back in 2018. The duo’s unlikely friendship has been a source of many viral moments, mirroring the laugh shared by Trump and Obama. In fact, W. playfully greeted his successor before taking his seat for the service, tapping Obama on the belly with the back of his hand, exemplifying their playful relationship. Despite sharing a political party with Trump, Bush seemed to ignore him entirely as he approached his seat.

Most Awkward Encounter of the Day Goes To…

Though you’d think tensions might be high between Trump and the many Democrats surrounding him, he seemed to get along quite well with most of his peers. Still, the twice-impeached president did face an awkward encounter with a prominent Republican. Once the services honoring President Carter had come to a close, the political A-listers rose from their seats and shook hands before departing, save for one notable woman who chose to stay seated and ignore Trump entirely. The woman in question is Karen Pence, wife of Trump’s former Vice President.

Mike Pence himself didn’t seem to mind shaking Trump’s hand, despite the tumultuous end of their political relationship over four years ago, when supporters of the controversial President stormed the halls of the Capitol screaming, “Hang Mike Pence” at Trump’s command. In the years since Trump has repeatedly called Pence “weak” for refusing to assist him in overthrowing the 2020 election, and Pence has chosen not to endorse Trump at any point leading into the 2024 election. While Mike might be content to shake hands in front of the cameras, Karen Pence seems to have little interest in playing the political game, leading to an ice-cold reception for the president-elect.

Trump and Obama’s Long and Complicated History

Trump Obama Lip Reading pictured: Barack Obama Donald Trump — (Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)

Though the jovial interaction at Carter’s funeral may seem bizarre at a glance, it’s actually fairly standard for Obama and Trump to get along well when they’re forced to be around each other. Eight years ago, when Trump was first preparing to move into the Oval Office, Obama reached out to smooth his transition in keeping with existing presidential traditions. Despite Trump running on a platform that was extremely critical of Obama’s administration, which included erroneously referring to the then-President as a secret Muslim, born in Africa, who had forged an American birth certificate, the incoming 45th president expressed a great deal of gratitude toward Obama for showing him the ropes before his term began. Obama had also made a series of harsh yet humorous jabs at Trump throughout his 2016 campaign, maligning him as a deeply unserious candidate with no shot at winning.

Likewise, Obama took to the campaign trail several times throughout the 2024 election to voraciously rally behind Kamala Harris, offering a few deeply stern words for Trump’s particular brand of governance. As recently as three months ago, the father of two shared the stage with Detroit rapper Eminem and likened Trump to a dementia-addled grandpa who should be placed under the care of professional nurses. During that rally, the 44th president explicitly stated, “We do not need to see what an older, loonier, Donald Trump looks like with no guardrails.” Despite being notoriously thin-skinned and known to hold grudges, it seems as though Trump simply cannot stay mad at someone with the overt charisma and charm of his predecessor. Of course, the returning president doesn’t seem to have the same cavalier attitude toward his other political rivals, including sitting President Joe Biden and VP Harris. Biden and Trump didn’t seem to share any notable interaction during the funeral, and Kamala’s largest highlight saw her scoffing after catching a glance at Trump and Obama’s shared laugh.

Jimmy Carter

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