George W. Bush didn’t initially understand all the hoopla surrounding his friendship with former first lady Michelle Obama.
But he later figured out how novel it was for some folks to see two people from different backgrounds “having fun” together.
When the four living former presidents recently spoke to Jenna Bush Hager for a TODAY exclusive about about the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary, George W. Bush — Jenna’s dad — reflected on how a cute moment he and Michelle Obama shared at John McCain’s September 2018 funeral went viral.
“I get a little antsy, as I’m sure you know. And I was sitting next to Michelle, that’s who I sit next to at funerals,” joked President Bush, referencing the political protocol that seats him next to the former first lady at official events.
“I was kinda teasing her and stuff, and I slipped her an Altoid. Not as a joke, but I thought she might want one,” he continued, laughing.
“And I got in the car afterwards and you said, ‘You’re trending,” he told Jenna, still laughing. “I didn’t know what trending meant.”
“It turns out the country is starved to see,” he said, “a white center right Republican and an African-American center left Democrat having fun, and being able to converse, not as political figures, but as citizens.”
In October 2018, Michelle Obama opened up during an interview on TODAY about the pair’s “cough drop” moment.
“President Bush and I, we are forever seatmates because of protocol, and that’s how we sit at all the official functions,” she said.
“He’s my partner-in-crime at every major thing where all the ‘formers’ gather. So we’re together all the time.”
“I love him to death,” she added. “He’s a wonderful man, he’s a funny man.”
President Bush and the former first lady previously made headlines for sharing a warm embrace at the National Museum of African American History and Culture dedication ceremony in 2016.
When he appeared on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show in 2017, President Bush talked about his special bond with the former first lady.
“(The friendship) surprised everybody,” he said. “That’s what’s so weird about society today, (the surprise) that people on opposite sides f the political spectrum can actually like each other.”
The two pals continued their sweet tradition in December 2018 when President Bush offered the former first lady a mint or cough drop while greeting President Trump and the former presidents and first ladies at the funeral for his father, former president George H.W. Bush.
The former president leaned in front of President Trump in the church’s front pew to offer the mint to Michelle Obama, causing her husband, former president Barack Obama, to laugh.
The former first lady discussed the cute moment while on tour for her memoir, “Becoming.”
“He has the presence of mind and the sense of humor to bring me a mint, and he made it a point to give me that mint right then and there, and that’s the beauty of George Bush,” she said.
The following year, the former first lady opened up to Jenna about her friendship with President Bush during their trip to Vietnam to raise awareness about the importance of education for young girls.
“I had the opportunity to sit by your father at funerals, the highs and the lows, and we shared stories about our kids and about our parents,” she told Jenna.
“Our values are the same. We disagree on policy, but we don’t disagree on humanity. We don’t disagree about love and compassion.”
“I think that’s true for all of us. It’s just that we get lost in our fear of what’s different,” she added.
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