“We Probably Like Each Other”: Trump Reflects on Friendly Exchange with Obama
Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Twitter via Getty Images and Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images.
President-elect Donald Trump commented on his seemingly cordial interaction with former President Barack Obama after a clip of their brief exchange at Jimmy Carter’s funeral service went viral on Thursday, January 9. The event, held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., brought together five presidents, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, outgoing President Joe Biden, and Trump himself.
During the ceremony, Trump and Obama were seated next to each other and were seen exchanging remarks. At one point, Obama even flashed a brief smile in response to Trump’s comment, sparking widespread reactions on social media.
Reflecting on the interaction, Trump, 78, addressed the moment in an interview. “It did look very friendly, I must say,” he remarked. “I didn’t realize how friendly it looked. I saw it… just a little while ago before I came in, and I said, ‘Boy, they look like two people that like each other.’ And we probably do.”
Acknowledging their ideological differences, Trump added, “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.”
He went on to describe the atmosphere backstage before the ceremony. “We met backstage before we went on, and I thought it was a beautiful service, but we all got along very well. Which is good,” Trump concluded.
The interaction and Trump’s subsequent comments stirred discussion online. Many users on the social media platform X speculated about Trump’s apparent desire for approval, even from a political rival like Obama.
“There are times I see little Donald Trump, the boy who is desperate for love and approval before he got warped by hate, jealousy, ego, etc. It’s really sad, and now his trauma has hurt so many people. It’s so depressing,” wrote one user.
The brief exchange and Trump’s reflections have added an unexpected dimension to the dynamic between the two leaders, whose political philosophies stand in stark contrast. While the moment sparked mixed reactions, it offered a rare glimpse of civility between two figures who have often been at odds in the public eye.
