George W. Bush has had many a viral moment in his multiple decades in the public sphere.
Among the most popular was one with none other than Michelle Obama, with whom, though they sit across the political aisle, the former president has become known to have a close bond with.
Now, for a History Talks event featuring all four living former presidents, moderated by his daughter Jenna Bush Hager , the Republican has given insight into his viral exchange with the former first lady.
© Getty ImagesSpeaking with his daughter, Bush recalled the moment he passed an Altoid to Michelle at the late Senator John McCain's funeral in 2018, and explained his reasoning behind it.
"I get a little antsy, as I'm sure you know, and I was sitting next to Michelle," he shared, noting Michelle is who he sits next to at political funerals. "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,'" he recalled to Jenna, admitting: "I didn't know what trending meant."
© Getty Images"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," he further reflected.
"I intend to continue to try to do that," he maintained, as he further discussed and celebrated the 250th anniversary of the United States, coming up in July, and which the interview was commemorating.
Bush previously addressed the viral exchange during a 2021 appearance on CBS Sunday Mornings, during which he said he was "shocked" to learn that the "American people were so surprised that Michelle Obama and I could be friends."
Michelle also told Jenna herself a year after the funeral: "We disagree on policy, but we don't disagree on humanity, we don't disagree about love and compassion," adding: "I think that's true for all of us, it's just that we get lost in our fear of what's different."
© Getty ImagesIn an excerpt from the special, which also featured conversations with former Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, after Bush was asked what he would like to say to the American people ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary on July 4th, he shared: "My message is: 'Consider yourself fortunate to be a part of a great nation.'"
"Study our history so you have a better sense for what the future will be like. And be a citizen, not a spectator. And by that I mean participate in the process, but also love a neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself," he added
