7 notable moments between VIPs at Carter’s funeral

Former President Carter’s funeral service at Washington National Cathedral brought together all five living presidents and current and former officials for an event full of notable interactions.

Carter died Dec. 29 at the age of 100 and was given a state funeral in Washington, D.C., on Thursday after he lied in state at the Capitol for the public to pay their respects this week. President Biden, at Carter’s request, delivered the eulogy.

Former Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama and President-elect Trump were all on hand for the service and seated next to and near each other in the church. Vice President Harris as well as former Vice Presidents Al Gore and Mike Pence were also in attendance.

The funeral was a rare opportunity in which current and former presidents and most of their spouses were in the same place at the same time, and it made for an array of notable moments among them, while some high-profile officials who were noticeably absent.

Here are seven notable moments between VIPs at Carter’s funeral.

Trump, Obama exchange pleasantries

One of the most remarkable moments came before the service even began, when Trump and Obama, long known to be bitter political rivals, had an extended friendly exchange.

Cameras captured Trump and Obama, who were seated next to each other, exchanging pleasantries, with Obama laughing at something the incoming and former president was saying. They appeared to chat for several minutes before the funeral services began.

The exchange proved notable given that Trump for years falsely accused Obama of not being born in the U.S. and therefore ineligible to be president, and he has repeatedly accused Obama of spying on his 2016 campaign.

Obama famously roasted Trump at the 2011 White House Correspondents' Association dinner, and he campaigned fiercely against Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024, decrying him as a threat to democracy and a bully.

Thursday's exchange was among several role reversals Trump has been met with since he won the election in November in which former foes appear to be embracing him.

Biden eulogizes Carter

Biden was one of a handful of prominent figures to deliver eulogies remembering Carter, and he used his remarks to praise the 39th president as a man of great character who in many ways was ahead of his time on issues like civil rights, conservation and Middle East peace.

“Jimmy Carter’s friendship taught me, and 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 and respect. That everyone, and I mean everyone, deserves an even shot,” Biden said.

“We have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor and to stand up to what my dad used to say is the greatest sin of all: the abuse of power,” he added.

At that moment, cameras broadcasting the services cut to a shot of the former presidents sitting in the audience. Biden and other Democratic presidents, particularly Obama, have warned that Trump is a threat to democracy who would abuse the office of the presidency.

After the service, while Biden was leaving the cathedral, he greeted outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation on Monday, and Prince Edward, who represented the British royal family.

Trump, Pence shake hands

Thursday marked the first time Trump and his former vice president, Mike Pence, were in the same room since the end of their administration in January 2021. 

Pence and Trump shared a brief greeting upon Trump’s arrival. The two shook hands and exchanged a few words. Former second lady Karen Pence remained seated and did not interact with Trump or incoming first lady Melania Trump. The Pences were seated a row behind the Trumps.

The relationship between the two men fractured over Trump’s pressure campaign on Pence to reject the 2020 election results on Jan. 6, 2021. Pence refused, insisting he did not have the authority to do so, even as rioters stormed the Capitol threatening his life.

Pence briefly ran against Trump during the 2024 GOP primary before bowing out.

Harris stern-faced, chilly toward Bidens

When Harris arrived at the cathedral with her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, she did not greet anyone and sat down in a row in front of the former presidents.

When the Bidens took their seats next to Harris and Emhoff, neither couple acknowledged each other. Throughout the service, Harris mostly looked forward and only interacted occasionally with Emhoff.

After the service ended, Harris turned around and greeted Bush and former first lady Laura Bush. 

She then turned to talk to Obama, a longtime ally of hers, moments later, and the two spoke for several seconds while Trump, next to Obama, looked forward and didn’t engage. Harris and Trump had briefly engaged previously on the campaign trail when they were both in New York in September for the 9/11 memorial.

But Thursday was the first time Harris had been in the same room publicly with Obama and Trump since losing November’s election.

Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee in late July after the president ended his candidacy amid pressure from Democrats, including Obama, to drop his bid. But Biden this week asserted he still believed he would have beaten Trump, despite polling that showed him trailing heavily.

Bush gives Obama a belly tap

When Bush entered the pew with the other presidents, Obama stood up for him, with Bush giving Obama a brief belly tap.

The moment was very brief, as Bush walked by Obama to get to his seat with Laura Bush between them. The two appeared to be the friendliest with each other among the group with the quick greeting. The Bushes and Obamas have shared a number of friendly interactions in recent years, notable moments amid heavy political polarization in the country. Former President Bush and former first lady Michelle Obama in particular have been at the center of multiple viral interactions, including at the 2016 opening of the African American History Museum.

Michelle Obama, Dick Cheney no-shows

Barack Obama was the only former president to arrive at the event without his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama. A spokesperson for the Obamas acknowledged that she was not in attendance but did not give a reason.

“Former First Lady Michelle Obama is not in attendance at President Carter’s National Funeral Service. Mrs. Obama sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from the remarkable former President,” said spokesperson Crystal Carson.

CNN reported on Thursday that the former first lady was on an “extended holiday vacation” in Hawaii.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney also did not attend. He’s the only former principal Republican to back Harris’s bid for president in 2024, with his daughter former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) becoming a front-and-center critic of Trump following the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. The younger Cheney was also the vice chair on the special House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol. Biden awarded her the Presidential Citizens Medal last week.

In addition to Gore and Pence, former Vice President Dan Quayle, who served under former President George H. W. Bush, was also in attendance.

Thomas, Gorsuch missing among justices

Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson were all in attendance for Carter’s funeral.

But Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch did not attend.

The service put most of the high court in the same room with Trump, who has a pending emergency application asking the justices to put on hold his criminal sentencing, which is scheduled for Friday. 

Alito too has been in the spotlight over a call he had with Trump earlier this week to discuss a former law clerk being considered for a job in the new administration. The justice said he was unaware at the time that Trump would be filing the application, and it was not discussed.

Trump did not appear to interact with any justices during Carter’s funeral.

Zach Schonfeld contributed.