George W. Bush has finally explained the viral moment he was seen slipping former first lady Michelle Obama something during a funeral, leaving people to be shocked at their closeness.
Given how brutal election cycles can be, it’s easy to assume political rivals can’t stand to be in the same room — let alone share a lighthearted exchange.
Yet Bush and Obama have repeatedly shown that basic warmth across party lines is still possible, and people can’t seem to get enough of it.
One of the most talked-about appearances came at Senator John McCain’s funeral in September 2018, where cameras captured Bush passing Obama a small item while seated beside her.
Later, Bush addressed the moment when he spoke with his daughter, journalist Jenna Bush Hager, during a TODAY special tied to the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary — explaining he hadn’t expected the clip to take off online.
“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 Bush, as he referenced the protocol of having a former president sit beside a former first lady (Obama) for 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, finally explaining what he’d given her during the funeral.
Online, plenty of viewers found the exchange funny — and some even misread it as a cheeky comment about breath.
“Bush just wanted mints and peace.”
“So George W basically suggested to Michael Obama that [s]he had bad breath without actually saying it.”
According to Bush, he didn’t realize the moment had become a talking point until after the service.
“And I got in the car afterwards and you said, ‘You’re trending’. I didn’t know what trending meant.”
He also suggested the surprise reaction says more about the public mood than the mint itself — with many people unaccustomed to seeing political figures from opposing parties acting friendly.
“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.”
And it wasn’t the first time they’d looked genuinely comfortable around each other — photos from the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016 sparked similar comments.
Obama also spoke to TODAY about their dynamic not long after the funeral, noting that their regular proximity at major events is largely down to seating rules.
“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.”