A light-hearted moment occurred at the funeral President George H.W. Bush in Washington on Wednesday when his son, former President George W. Bush, slipped former first lady Michelle Obama what is believed to be a cough drop or piece of candy.
The exchange, which was caught on camera, came at the National Cathedral as Bush was greeting the former first couples on hand before the memorial service for his father began.
And it was an apparent nod to a viral video moment they shared in September during the late Sen. John McCain’s funeral.
Advertisement - story continues below
Former President George W. Bush greets all the former presidents at his father’s funeral service. https://t.co/YsVdNOQqBj #Bush41 pic.twitter.com/VzkhdElZlg
— Dan Linden (@DanLinden) December 5, 2018
TRENDING: Mike Huckabee: The Media Won’t Tell This Transgender Veteran’s Story
At the McCain funeral, former first lady Laura Bush could be seen handing her husband what was later revealed to be a cough drop, and he then discreetly passed it on to Obama.
Former President Barack Obama looked on in amusement as his wife mouthed, “Thank you.”
Advertisement - story continues below
George W. Bush sneaking a piece of candy to Michelle Obama is warming my heart . pic.twitter.com/pAtDdIcSeB
— Roland Scahill (@rolandscahill) September 1, 2018
Do you think George W. Bush has a good sense of humor?
At the time, the internet was abuzz speculating what Bush handed to Michelle Obama.
“I didn’t realize at the time that anybody noticed what we were doing,” she later told NBC’s “Today.”
Obama pointed out that, due to protocol, she is always seated next to the 41st president when the former first couples gather.
Advertisement - story continues below
“I love him to death,” she said. “He’s a wonderful man. He’s a funny man. And it was a simple gesture. He was getting a cough drop from Laura, and I looked over, and I said, ‘Hand me a cough drop,’ and he said, ‘OK.'”
“I will add they were old cough drops,” Obama joked. “That’s the funny thing, because they were in the little White House box, and I was like, ‘How long have you had these?’ And he said, ‘A long time, we got a lot of these!'”
Another moment that brought smiles during George H.W. Bush’s memorial service on Wednesday was when biographer Jon Meacham recalled one comedian’s take on the late president’s speaking style.
Jon Meacham: “As Dana Carvey said, the key to a #Bush41 impersonation is Mister Rogers trying to be John Wayne.”#Remembering41 pic.twitter.com/yuaWJLlMmA
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 5, 2018
Advertisement - story continues below
“You can hear the voice, can’t you?” Meacham asked. “As Dana Carvey said, ‘The key to a Bush 41 impersonation is Mister Rogers trying to be John Wayne.'”
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.