"I get a little antsy, as I'm sure you know, and I was sitting next to Michelle. That's who I sit next to at funerals. And I was kind of teasing her and stuff, and I slipped her an Altoid. Not as a joke, but I thought she might want one."
"I got in the car afterwards, and you said, 'You're trending.' I didn't know what trending meant. It turns out, the country is starved to see a white, center-right Republican and an African American center-left Democrat having fun and being able to converse, not as political figures but as citizens."
"Bush later repeated the gesture in December 2018, months later, offering the former First Lady a mint, again, this time at his own father's funeral."
George W. Bush clarified the viral moment during John McCain's funeral when he handed Michelle Obama an Altoid. He described the act as spontaneous and friendly, not premeditated. Bush noted that he was simply trying to lighten the mood and thought she might want a mint. The moment became a symbol of bipartisan camaraderie, reflecting a desire for connection in a politically divided environment. He was unaware of the public's reaction until later, when informed he was trending online for the gesture.
Read at www.mediaite.com
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