No jabs, no politics, just two former presidents catching up with smiles, laughter, and a golf invite.
Back in January, during the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, something unexpected happened: Donald Trump and Barack Obama, long known for their political rivalry, shared a candid, friendly exchange that had both men laughing and the cameras rolling.
According to the newly released political book 2024, published this summer, the moment went beyond pleasantries. Trump reportedly invited Obama to play golf, even pitching the idea with descriptions of his world-class courses.
“It did look very friendly, I must say,” Trump later remarked in a press clip following the event.
“I saw it and said, ‘Boy, they look like two people that like each other.’”
The footage, which initially made headlines in January and has resurfaced with the book’s release, shows both men smiling, laughing, and exchanging side comments. It was a surprisingly cordial interaction between two former presidents who have rarely appeared this relaxed together.
Trump and Obama Share Rare Public Civility
Seated side-by-side at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Trump and Obama appeared genuinely at ease. Trump’s wife Melania sat to his left. Michelle Obama was not in attendance.
According to lip reader Jeremy Freeman, who spoke to Daily Mail shortly after the January service, their conversation included a desire to speak privately after the ceremony.
Even Vice President Kamala Harris, seated in the row ahead, seemed taken aback by the exchange. She reportedly turned around, looked at them mid-conversation, and let out a long sigh.
A Shift in Tone — and a Reminder of Statesmanship
The warm moment stood in stark contrast to past interactions between the two. Back in 2018, at the funeral of President George H.W. Bush, Trump and Obama were seated apart and exchanged no words. But this time, in early 2025, the energy was different.
The exchange also brought back memories of their 2016 post-election White House meeting, where Obama famously warned Trump about the threat posed by North Korea, one of their few documented private conversations before Trump took office.
Now, years later and with Carter’s funeral as the backdrop, both leaders showed a willingness to put past conflicts aside, at least temporarily.
A Tee Time and a Moment of Levity
Perhaps the most surprising detail from the 2024 book was that Trump didn’t just chat. He extended a genuine golf invitation to Obama, describing his world-class courses across Florida, Scotland, and Ireland. The moment wasn’t staged, nor was it political grandstanding. It was two former presidents sharing an unguarded exchange during a somber occasion.
For a figure often seen as combative, Trump’s light-hearted offer revealed a more relaxed side, one not often caught on camera. And for a brief moment, amid the weight of history and rivalry, both men looked like two seasoned leaders finding common ground in the simplest of gestures.