Although the occasion marked the first time every living former president had convened since 2018, Michelle was MIA due to her extending her holiday in Hawaii as CNN’s Jeff Zeleny reported at the time.
While Michelle was missing from his side, Obama proved to be a friendly presence among the former national leaders. In footage from the memorial, the 44th president—who shares daughters Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, with Michelle—talked animatedly to Trump for several minutes. He also stood to greet former president Bush, who quickly gave him a belly tap before taking a seat. A greeting that, naturally, went viral online.
Despite missing the memorial, Michelle did pay her respects to former president Carter—who died Dec. 29 at age 100—through a joint statement with her husband.
“President Carter taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service,” the couple wrote in a joint statement shared to Instagram Dec. 29. “Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from this remarkable man.”
Keep reading for more moments from former president Carter’s memorial…