Trump reveals details of surprising Obama bromance after pair have ‘very friendly’ chat side-by-side at Carter funeral
DONALD Trump has spoken out about his surprising bromance with former president Barack Obama after the pair cracked jokes at Jimmy Carter’s funeral.
The 44th and 45th presidents were seen laughing as they sat side-by-side at the National Cathedral in Washington DC.
Trump, with wife Melania sat to his left, was seen turning his head and body as he whispered to say something to his predecessor.
Obama was then seen chuckling several times as he lowered his head to hear what Trump was saying.
He was then seen breaking into a grin.
The exchange has since gone viral on social media – and online users have dubbed them “NFL buddies”.
Speaking to reporters today at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursday, Trump revealed that he and Obama “got along” as they sat together at the funeral.
Trump added: “I didn’t realise how friendly it looked. I said, ‘boy, they look like two people that like each other’. And we probably do.
“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.”
However, Obama did not shake hands with Trump or Melania, despite shaking the hands of the other living presidents.
Meanwhile, a forensic lip reader’s analysis indicates that Trump and Obama may have discussed matters related to international agreements.
Jeremy Freeman told the New York Post that Trump may have said to Obama that they need to “find a quiet place” to discuss a “matter of importance”.
However, it is unclear what exactly the former presidents talked about during their friendly chat.
Relations between the two former presidents have been strained in recent years, with Obama recently cracking a double-entendre-laden joke about Trump’s “obsession with crowd sizes” at the Democratic National Convention.
Trump was always a huge critic of Obama, repeatedly raising the disproven “birther” argument to claim that he could not be the US president because he was born in Kenya.
The cordial relations between Obama and Trump left many viewers of the funeral shocked.
One claimed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the pair were “talking like buddies at an NFL game.”
They add that the First Lady and Vice President Harris, on the other hand, “look like they want to go at it.”
“How about the frost between Kamala and Dr Jill,” a second wrote.
“You can feel the chill from the photo.”
A third user wrote, “Wonder what Trump said that made Obama laugh so hard.”
During the funeral proceedings, Kamala Harris appears to turn around and look at Obama and Trump in conversation.
“Harris notices Trump and Obama chatting in the background and she looks P***ED,” another user wrote.
GOODBYE, JIMMY
Jimmy Carter, the 39th and longest-living president of the United States, died on December 29 at the age of 100, surrounded by his loved ones after nearly two years in hospice care.
The former president’s flag-draped casket arrived at the Washington National Cathedral at around 10:30 am.
Steven Ford, the third son of former President Gerald Ford, was the second to take the podium after Carter’s grandson, Joshua, shared stories of the late president.
Steven read a tribute to Carter that his father had written before his death in 2006.
Carter and Ford were bitter rivals in the days leading up to the 1976 presidential election.
However, the two became close friends later in life after learning they shared many things in common despite being on opposite parties.
The former presidents made a pact over the phone years ago to speak at each other’s funerals, Steven said.
“After that call, as you can imagine, both of them got off the phone and had a pretty good chuckle,” he said, adding, “It’s an honor to share dad’s eulogy to his old friend.”
ONCE IN A LIFETIME
Carter’s funeral has created the rare opportunity for five living presidents to be together in one place.
Before 1991, there was only one other period in US history when more than five presidents were alive at the same time – around 1861.
The last presidential funeral was George HW Bush’s in December 2018, attended by five former presidents, including Carter.
In 2023, all of the current and former first ladies were in attendance for the funeral of Carter’s late wife, Rosalynn.
Before the service began, Trump was also spotted shaking hands with his former Vice President Mike Pence.
It marked the first time the pair have been seen publicly in the same room in four years.
Mike Pence’s wife Karen was filmed staring down Melania as she refused to shake Trump’s hand.
Carter’s coffin was transported to Washington’s National Cathedral on Thursday morning after lying in state for two days in the Capitol.
Following the service, at which President Joe Biden will speak, his body will be returned to his hometown of Plains, Georgia.
He will be buried alongside his late wife at a private ceremony.