George W. Bush Gives Barack Obama a BELLY TAP in Viral Exchange | E! News

Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama's exchange at Jimmy Carter's memorial service goes viral. The moment, caught on camera and widely spread across social media, shows the nation's 43rd president giving our 44th president a belly tap as they greet each other at the state funeral service of former President Jimmy Carter in Washington, D.C. Mr. Obama gives Mr. Bush a pat on the back in return. The playful exchange is one of the many that George W. Bush has had with the Obamas in recent years. While former First Lady Michelle Obama was not in attendance at the January 9th service, she has been known to have friendly across-the-aisle interactions with former President Bush at events throughout the years, including at the opening of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, where the two shared a hug. The reaction from the public actually surprised Mr. Bush himself, who opened up about it in a 2018 interview with CBS Sunday Morning. There was that moment, of course, where you and Mrs. Obama hugged. A big hug, yeah. I think the one that became more famous is when I gave her the Altoid during McCain's funeral. And it shocked me. We got in the car and I think Barbara Jenner said, hey, you're trending. And the American people were so surprised that Michelle Obama could be friends. I think it's a problem that Americans are so polarized in their thinking that they can't imagine a George W. Bush and a Michelle Obama being friends. The interaction between the former presidents isn't the only exchange that went viral during Carter's funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral, where all five living presidents were in attendance. Former President Obama and President-elect Donald Trump were also photographed chatting, seemingly sharing pleasantries during the service, though we'd need the help of a pro lip reader to know exactly what went down in this convo.