President Jimmy Carter's missing out on some serious drama -- his funeral created a mini soap opera between President-elect Donald Trump, all his White House predecessors ... and his former VP Mike Pence.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00President Jimmy Carter's funeral service held this morning at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
00:06And boy, was it dramatic.
00:08As expected, when we lose a former president, all living presidents who are healthy and able attend this.
00:17And we had it this morning with five either former or current or elected, future elected presidents there.
00:26You had Bill Clinton, George W., you had Barack Obama, you see President-elect Trump sitting next to him.
00:33And in the front row, President Biden, Kamala Harris, and their spouses, of course.
00:38Well, not all their spouses.
00:40Not all their spouses. I meant Biden and Harris.
00:42Notice, because I think this is really relevant, Michelle Obama is MIA.
00:46We'll get into that in a minute.
00:48We'll get into it.
00:49But you've got to look at the entrances. They are amazing.
00:53The real drama began when President-elect Trump arrived with Melania and says hi to Al Gore.
01:01And watch this.
01:02But Mike Pence.
01:03Mike Pence.
01:04I mean.
01:05Shaking hands.
01:06Which I actually expected.
01:08Expected that they would shake. Yeah, I mean, in that setting, what else can they do?
01:12But obviously we all know the backdrop of what happened on January 6th, four years ago.
01:17And the aftermath.
01:18Yes, the tension there.
01:20So let us keep going on this.
01:23And you're right.
01:24It just gets better.
01:25As he said in the tease, as this is playing out, we're watching it going like, oh, my gosh, what happens?
01:28Mike Pence.
01:29Well, there's Barack Obama.
01:30And then Barack Obama walks in.
01:31You're like, OK, what's going to happen?
01:32Well, look, he's shaking Mike Pence's hand.
01:34He shakes Mike Pence. Al Gore says hello.
01:37And you're like, all right, is he going to say hello to Donald Trump?
01:39Is he going to say hello?
01:41He really didn't.
01:42He dipped a little bit toward Trump, but clearly he's not embracing him, obviously.
01:49Went down, said hello to Dan Quayle and his wife.
01:51And there was no eye contact, really, with Donald Trump.
01:55But they're sitting next to each other.
01:57Yeah.
01:58And they didn't choose these seats.
01:59They knew this was going to be.
02:01So you got to look at this.
02:02So Barack Obama sits down.
02:04And Donald Trump then starts to talk to him.
02:06And Obama at first looks awkward.
02:09Flipping through the program.
02:11They're not talking about the program.
02:13No.
02:14They're not talking about the program.
02:15This is the game you play at an event like this.
02:16And then all of a sudden, they start chatting.
02:19And they are having.
02:21I got to say.
02:22They seem to be.
02:23They're broing down.
02:24They seem pretty congenial.
02:25Like everything was.
02:26They're laughing.
02:27I would love to know what their conversation was.
02:30There are lip readers who are looking at this right now.
02:32What was their conversation?
02:34Why?
02:35Like Barack Obama was laughing at a point.
02:36Well, look, I'm sure there's a lot of civility.
02:38Look, politics aside, they're part of an extraordinarily small fraternity of guys who have been president of the United States.
02:45And it's only men in this country, obviously, who have been president.
02:47At this point.
02:48So they're sitting there.
02:49And they're in this fraternity.
02:50And that's usually what they do at a gathering of a lost president.
02:53Because at some level, they are all part of a very exclusive club.
02:57Now, Michelle Obama not interacting.
02:59That, to me, speaks volumes.
03:00Because she doesn't have to.
03:01Bill Clinton didn't interact with Trump.
03:02Nor did W.
03:04Hillary?
03:05Nor did W.
03:06Yeah, look, we're in very polarizing times.
03:08To me, the interaction with Mike Pence was the most telling, though.
03:11Because this is not about civility and putting politics aside.
03:14Donald Trump's supporters, many of them wanted to harm physically Mike Pence.
03:18So for Mike Pence to look him in the eye, that, to me, that interaction must have been the most tense moment of the whole thing.
03:24So my recollection is when George Bush Sr. died and they all got together, Michelle Obama would not shake Donald Trump's hand.
03:32And the stories came out that she found it unforgivable that he had questioned her husband's birthplace.
03:42And that she didn't show up here.
03:44We don't know why, but you could speculate that it may well be because of this bad blood.
03:51And so the fact that Barack Obama sat there and was…
03:55Gabbing with him.
03:56Gabbing with him.
03:57Smiling.
03:58Okay, so you know my question, right?
03:59So what happens when he gets home?
04:00That's my question.
04:01What happens when he gets home?
04:02That's my question.
04:03That is my question.
04:04He's going to say, what am I going to do?
04:06I had to be seated next to him.
04:08They sat us in succession.
04:10I had no choice.
04:11I had to take that.
04:12So did you have to sit there and laugh at him?
04:14Did you have to laugh with him?
04:15Did you have to bro down with him?
04:17You know what?
04:18Actually, if he didn't, we would be talking about the fact that he intentionally…
04:22I agree with you.
04:23And there's something that's probably good for the country, right?
04:27That…
04:28I agree with you.
04:29They clearly have politically are polar opposite.
04:33And by the way, we're showing pictures of Trump smiling.
04:35Obama was smiling and laughing too.
04:37We saw him smiling.
04:38They were both kind of engaged.
04:40In that moment.
04:41This is good for the country, right?
04:42It is.
04:43I agree.
04:44To be able to have conversations with our people who have different political…
04:47So superimpose your wife, Mary, for Michelle Obama.
04:50What do you tell Mary?
04:51I would have sat stone-faced.
04:53I'd have been like, look, dude, I want to talk to you, but it's going to be later.
04:57Hey, this is Lauren Johnson from Iowa.
04:59And I am not surprised Barack Obama cracked a smile sitting next to Donald Trump.
05:03Donald Trump does not need to be in D.C.
05:06He needs to be on the road doing comedy.
05:08And honestly, good for Kamala Harris.
05:10She came there.
05:11She saw.
05:12She left.
05:13She didn't say a peep.
05:14That is the energy I am bringing into 2025.
05:16I am minding my business.
05:18I am protecting my peace.
05:20That's it.
05:21Did you just see that look?
05:22Oh, my God.
05:23Did you just see that?
05:24She looked back.
05:25It was almost like she was saying, is Obama talking to him?
05:26It said everything.
05:27Is Obama actually talking to him?
05:28It said everything.
05:29Oh, my God.
05:32That is a shot.
05:38That is a shot.
05:39That is a shot.
05:40That is a shot.
05:41That is a shot.
05:42That is a shot.
05:43That is a shot.
05:44That is a shot.
05:45That is a shot.
05:46That is a shot.
05:47That is a shot.
05:48That is a shot.
05:49That is a shot.
05:50That is a shot.
05:51That is a shot.
05:52That is a shot.
05:53That is a shot.
05:54That is a shot.
05:55That is a shot.
05:56That is a shot.
05:57That is a shot.
05:58That is a shot.
05:59That is a shot.
06:00That is a shot.
06:01That is a shot.
06:02That is a shot.
06:03That is a shot.
06:04That is a shot.
06:05That is a shot.
06:06That is a shot.