Donald Trump Says He and Barack Obama 'Probably Do' Like Each Other
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01/12/2025 11:47 AM
The president-elect and former president were photographed speaking with each other at Jimmy Carter's funeral service on Jan. 9
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty
Barack Obama and Donald Trump speak during Jimmy Carter's state funeral service on Jan. 9, 2025Donald Trump believes that he and Barack Obama "probably do" like each other.
The president-elect, 78, spoke at a Mar-a-Lago meeting with Republican governors on Thursday, Jan. 9 about his interaction with the former president, 63, during Jimmy Carter's state funeral earlier that day.
Trump and Obama were among the five living U.S. presidents and all but one first lady who reunited to honor the life and legacy of Carter at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. There, the pair was filmed smiling and chatting with each other during the service.
Speaking to Fox News's Peter Doocy at his Florida resort, Trump said, in a clip uploaded by Forbes, that his interaction with Obama "did look very friendly."
"I didn't realize it, how friendly it looked," he said. "I saw it on your wonderful network, just a little while ago, before I came in. And I said, 'Boy, they look like two people [who] like each other.' And we probably do."
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty
Barack Obama and Donald Trump speak at Jimmy Carter's state funeral on Jan. 9, 2025Related: Donald Trump and Mike Pence Shake Hands During First Interaction in Nearly 4 Years
"We have a little different philosophies, right? But we probably do," Trump added. "I don't know, we just got along."
Trump then stated that he "got along with just about everybody" there, referencing the other attendees at Carter's service, including current President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
"You know, we met backstage before we went on. And I thought it was a beautiful service," Trump continued. "But we all got along very well, which is good."
Trump did not initially stand to greet Obama at the service, though the pair ended up engaging in conversation while seated next to each other. Obama recently spoke out against Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign, when he rallied for Harris, 60.
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Scene from Jimmy Carter's state funeral on Jan. 9, 2025Elsewhere during the service, Bush, 78, shared a light-hearted moment with his successor when he gave Obama a friendly tap on the belly while heading toward his seat. During the state funeral, Obama was seated between Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, and Trump and his wife, Melania Trump.
Michelle Obama was absent from Carter's service. Her spokesperson told PEOPLE at the time that she "sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from the remarkable former President."
Carter, the longest-living former president in U.S. history — who served as the 39th president from 1977 to 1981 — died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100.
