America\u2019s most exclusive fraternity \u2013 the presidents club \u2013 assembled to mourn George HW Bush, putting on public display its uneasy relationship with the current occupant of the Oval Of<\/b>
\nBy Catherine Lucey and Zeke Miller, Associated Press
December 5 2018 9:10 PM
America\u2019s most exclusive fraternity \u2013 the presidents club \u2013 assembled to mourn George HW Bush, putting on public display its uneasy relationship with the current occupant of the Oval Office.
The uncomfortable reunion brought President Donald Trump together in the same pew with past White House residents who have given him decidedly critical reviews.
The late Mr Bush was the de facto chairman of the modern incarnation of the presidents club, transcending contentious campaigns and party lines to bring together fractious personalities who share that rarefied experience.
But the staid group of Oval Office occupants has been disturbed since Mr Trump\u2019s election.
Since his swearing-in, Mr Trump has spurned most contact with his predecessors \u2013 and they have snubbed him in return.
The Bushes had made it known to the White House months ago that, despite differences in policy and temperament, the late president wanted Mr Trump to attend the national service.
The ceremony\u2019s tributes at times stood as an unspoken counterpoint to Mr Trump\u2019s leadership, as historian Jon Meacham eulogised Mr Bush by recounting his life\u2019s credo: \u201cTell the truth, don\u2019t blame people, be strong, do your best, try hard, forgive, stay the course.\u201d
George W Bush added of his father: \u201cHe could tease and needle, but not out of malice.\u201d
Ahead of Wednesday\u2019s state funeral for the late president, former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and their spouses chatted easily among themselves from their seats in the front row at Washington\u2019s National Cathedral.
The ex-presidents leaned over their wives to chat to one another, and Mr Clinton and former first lady Michelle Obama shared a quiet conversation.
But the Trumps\u2019 arrival, minutes ahead of the motorcade carrying Mr Bush\u2019s coffin, cast a pall on the conversation.
First lady Melania Trump approached first, greeting both Obamas and Mr Clinton with a handshake.
Hillary Clinton appeared to nod at Mrs Trump but did not interact with Mr Trump himself and stared straight ahead during the service.
Mr Carter waved a hand.
The president then shook hands with both Obamas before taking his seat.
After that, the small talk along the row largely stopped.
Next followed George W Bush, who, by contrast, shook hands with the entire row of dignitaries \u2013 and appeared to share a moment of humour with Mrs Obama, slipping something into her hand.
Mr Bush took his seat across the aisle from the ex-presidents, with the rest of the Bush family.
The Trump-Obama handshake marked the first direct interaction between the current president and his immediate predecessor since Inauguration Day 2017.
Mr Trump has not spoken to Democrats Mrs Clinton or Mr Obama since that day.
He did speak with the younger Bush during the contentious confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, as the previous Republican president helped lobby for his former aide.
Democrat Mr Carter has been briefed by White House officials on North Korea, though it was not clear if he has engaged directly with Mr Trump.
Mr Trump has sought to meet the elder Bush\u2019s passing with grace, a contrast to the rhythms of much of his tumultuous presidency.
He came to office after a campaign in which he harshly criticised his Democratic predecessors and co-opted a Republican Party once dominated by the Bush family.
Despite the traditional kinship among presidents, Mr Trump\u2019s predecessors have all made their discomfort known in different ways.
\u201cIt\u2019s unusual that a cabal of ex-presidents from both parties dislike a sitting president and that\u2019s what you\u2019ve got happening right now,\u201d said Douglas Brinkley, a history professor at Rice University.
By virtue of health, longevity and opportunities for continued influence, ex-presidents are sticking around longer than ever and staying active in the public eye.
Past presidents often built relationships with their predecessors, Mr Brinkley said.
\u201cBill Clinton would reach out to Richard Nixon for advice on Russia,\u201d he said. \u201cHarry Truman leaned heavily on Herbert Hoover. It\u2019s endless.\u201d
But Mr Brinkley added that those ties vary from president to president and there have been chilly relationships as well, noting, for example, that \u201cFDR would never talk to Herbert Hoover\u201d.
Busy with a mix of personal pursuits, charitable endeavours \u2013 and, in some cases, paid speaking gigs \u2013 the former leaders do not mingle very often, making a funeral in their group a big occasion.
Bonded by the presidency, they tend to exercise caution in their comments about each other.
But all the living former presidents have aimed barbs \u2013 directly or indirectly \u2013 at Mr Trump.
In a speech in September, Mr Obama slammed the \u201ccrazy stuff\u201d coming out of the White House without directly naming Mr Trump.
Last year, the younger Bush made a speech that confronted many of the themes of Mr Trump\u2019s presidency without mentioning him by name, cautioning that \u201cbigotry seems emboldened\u201d and the nation\u2019s politics \u201cseems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication\u201d.
Over the summer, Mr Carter told The Washington Post that Mr Trump\u2019s presidency was a \u201cdisaster\u201d.
And Mr Clinton \u2013 stung by Mr Trump\u2019s defeat of his wife in the 2016 presidential race \u2013 told a weekly newspaper in New York state after her stunning loss that Mr Trump \u201cdoesn\u2019t know much\u201d.
Even the late Mr Bush\u2019s feelings about Mr Trump were harsh at times.
In Mark K Updegrove\u2019s book The Last Republicans, published last year, the elder Bush called Mr Trump a \u201cblowhard\u201d.
The late Bush said he voted for Mrs Clinton in 2016 while George W Bush said he voted for \u201cnone of the above\u201d.
There have been other moments when the ex-presidents offered more sympathetic sentiments for Mr Trump.
After Mr Trump\u2019s surprise victory, Mr Obama stood in the Rose Garden at the White House and said he was \u201crooting\u201d for the next president.
Mr Carter told The New York Times in 2017 the media had been harder on Mr Trump than other presidents.
Mr Clinton said in June that America should be rooting for Mr Trump to succeed in his North Korea talks.
While he has struggled to set the right tone in past moments of national grief, Mr Trump has gone out of his way to address Mr Bush\u2019s passing with consideration, issuing kind statements and ensuring that Bush family members had whatever they needed for the funeral.
On Tuesday, Mrs Trump welcomed Laura Bush and other family members for a tour of the White House Christmas decorations.
And Mr Trump and the first lady visited with members of the Bush family at Blair House.
Press Association
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