President-elect Donald Trump was seen sharing a laugh with former President Barack Obama as the two men sat next to each other during former President Jimmy Carter's funeral Thursday.
Trump and wife Melania sat at the end of the second row. To their right sat Obama, former President George Bush and first lady Laura Bush, and Hillary and Bill Clinton. Michelle Obama was noticeably absent.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses sat in the first row.
It was the first time Biden and the four former presidents came together since the 2018 funeral of former President George H.W. Bush.
Trump and Obama were seen chatting cordially as former President Bush and wife Laura walked passed without acknowledging either and sat down, NBC News reported.
The Bushes then were seen turning around and greeting former Vice Presidents Mike Pence, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle.
As Trump and Melania took their seats — others in the first two rows were not yet present — the president-elect shook hands with Gore and Pence. Pence's wife, Karen, appeared to ignore both Trumps.
The funeral service was held at the National Cathedral, an Episcopal church in the nation's capital which also hosted state funerals for former presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and George H.W. Bush.
Following the cathedral service, Carter's remains will be flown aboard Special Air Mission 39 back to Georgia for a private funeral service at the Baptist church in Plains where Carter taught Sunday school.
A final motorcade through his hometown will ferry Carter's body to a burial plot at his residence.
Trump came to the Capitol Rotunda to pay his respects Wednesday to Carter as the 39th president lied in state ahead of his funeral.
AFP contributed to this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.