If Jimmy Carter could broker peace between Egypt and Israel, why are we so shocked that he could facilitate the same between Barack Obama and Donald Trump?
The two have said some ugly things about each other over the years: Trump said Obama wasn’t born in America. Obama said Trump was a threat to democracy.
“Donald Trump is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago,” Obama said last while campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris
Yet there they were last week at Carter’s state funeral yucking it up before the program began like they were sitting courtside at a Knicks game.
Who knows what they were saying — lip readers have their version of the conversation — but whatever it was, it sent social media spinning.
“It did look very friendly, I must say,” Trump later told Fox News. “I don’t know, we just got along.”
The two haven’t talked about taking their act on the road, yet some grudge holders were acting like the sky was falling.
Among them was radio host Charlamagne tha God, who accused Obama of “kissing the ring.”
“After you went so hard calling somebody a threat to democracy and calling somebody a fascist and now you’re just chummy-chummy with the man?” Charlamagne said on his radio show “The Breakfast Club.”
“You got the last real leader of the Democratic Party, Barack Obama, laughing and giggling with Trump. Looking like, yeah, he’s kissing the ring,” Charlamagne said. “That’s what it looked like.”
What were they supposed to do? They were sitting next to each other. At a funeral. For Jimmy Carter.
Obama and Trump were among the five living presidents at the Washington National Cathedral honoring Carter, the 39th president, who died Dec. 29 at the age of 100.
They were joined by former President George W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton, and President Biden, who lauded Carter for his character.
“Jimmy Carter’s friendship taught me, and through his life, taught me that strength of character is more than title or the power we hold,” Biden said in his eulogy. “It’s the strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity, respect, that everyone, and I mean everyone, deserves an even shot.”
The presidents were each joined by their wives, except Obama, whose wife missed the event because of a scheduling conflict.
Michelle Obama’s absence was extremely significant because she probably would have been seated between her husband and Trump, and spared us all the political intrigue.
Or she might have created even more.
The last time Michelle Obama was at a state funeral for a president, she received a piece of candy from Bush, who was eulogizing his father, former President George H.W. Bush.
The younger Bush had also given Michelle Obama a piece of candy at the funeral for former U.S. Sen. John McCain.
Trump doesn’t seem like the candy giving type.
Of course, if it had been Trump with the candy, we would have accused him of trying to poison Michelle Obama.
We’ve all had to deal with the discomfort of a wedding, funeral or graduation in the presence of someone we don’t like, an in-law, a former boss or an ex.
We do what these former and future presidents did, we suck it up and act like adults.
It also helps to remember the old adage about politics: There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests.
Obama and Trump are members of one of the most exclusive clubs in the world. Why would Obama need to kiss the ring? He has a ring of his own.
