Barack Obama laughed at a remark Donald Trump made while seated before the commencement of Jimmy Carter’s funeral on Thursday. The moment between the two presidents was captured on camera and has been circulating online, with one social media post receiving over 1.4 million views.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s press team for comment via email and filed out an online contact form on Obama’s website on Thursday evening.
Why It Matters
Interactions between former and current presidents are often watched closely at formal events such as Carter’s funeral, particularly between those who have been vocal about their political differences over the years.
Trump, who was sitting next to Obama, succeeded him in 2017 after his two terms and has been an outspoken critic of the Democrat and his policies, even spreading false rumors about him. Obama, in turn, has criticized Trump, particularly on issues of democracy and policy.
What To Know
Carter, who died at age 100, was the longest-living president in U.S. history. In one of the final events of his six-day-long state funeral, he was honored at the Washington National Cathedral in the nation’s capital.
Five presidents were in attendance at Carter’s funeral—Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, Obama, Trump and George W. Bush—as well as vice presidents and first ladies.
There were several notable interactions among the former, current and incoming leaders. These included Trump shaking hands with his former vice president, Mike Pence, for the first time since January 6, 2021; Bush tapping Obama on the stomach while appearing to avoid Trump; and Obama laughing at Trump’s remark.
A video clip showing Obama laughing drew significant attention on social media, including the post with more than 1.4 million views. Another clip of the interaction, shared by Howard Mortman, director of communications at C-SPAN, has received nearly half a million views.
Trump and Obama continue their extended conversation pic.twitter.com/NWZLVn5xsy
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 9, 2025
One clip of the interaction shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Howard Mortman, director of communications at C-SPAN, boasts nearly half a million views.
What People Are Saying
Ed Krassenstein, AI and crypto futurist, shared the clip in an X post with the caption: “Stop hating each other. Reality: [followed by the clip of Obama laughing at Trump’s remark].”
In another post from minutes before, he shared a screenshot of Obama’s laugh and wrote, “Sometimes I think we are all getting played.”
GOP Senator Markwayne Mullin said of Obama’s interaction with Trump on Thursday: “What you see right there is Barack Obama realizing it and realize that he kind of probably should kiss the ring, because President Trump is the most popular man in the world and probably the most popular man in our lifetime around the world, and everybody recognizes that now.” Mullin was speaking to Benny Johnson, host of the podcast The Benny Show.
Harry Sisson, a Democrat commentator, said on X: “LOL! George W. Bush completely IGNORED Donald Trump and embraced President Obama at Jimmy Carter‘s funeral. Even established Republicans know that Trump is trash.”
What Happens Next
The next time the group gets together will likely be at Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
The post Video of Trump Making Obama Laugh at Carter Funeral Takes Off Online appeared first on Newsweek.
