{"id":19324,"date":"2025-01-21T03:15:21","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T03:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=19324"},"modified":"2025-01-21T03:15:21","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T03:15:21","slug":"barack-obama-tells-reporter-george-w-bush-just-barely-behaved-during-donald-trumps-inauguration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=19324","title":{"rendered":"Barack Obama Tells Reporter George W. Bush \u2018Just Barely\u2019 Behaved During Donald Trump\u2019s Inauguration"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The former presidents shared a playful moment at the Capitol Rotunda during the inauguration<\/p>\n

Former President\u00a0Barack Obama<\/a>\u00a0playfully kept a watchful eye on fellow former President\u00a0George W. Bush<\/a>\u00a0during President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s inauguration.<\/p>\n

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After leaving the Capitol Rotunda on Monday, Jan. 20, Obama, 63, was asked if Bush, 78, behaved as Trump, 78, was sworn into office.<\/p>\n

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\u201cJust barely,\u201d the former president\u00a0jokingly told\u00a0Washington Post<\/em><\/a>\u00a0reporter Emily Davies in a clip she shared on\u00a0X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Former US President George W. Bush, former First Lady Laura Bush and former US President Barack Obama \u2014 January 20, 2025.<\/span>Shawn Thew-Pool\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The question referenced another video that\u00a0Davies published earlier in the day<\/a>\u00a0with a solo Obama lining up for the inauguration behind Bush and his wife Laura Bush, also 78.<\/p>\n

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As the former presidents and the former first lady prepared to enter the event, a staffer asked George, \u201cAre you going to behave?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Answering for him, Obama replied: \u201cNope.\u201d<\/p>\n

While George’s\u00a0playful interactions<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0Michelle Obama<\/a>\u00a0have gone viral in the past, the former first lady, 61, was noticeably absent from Monday\u2019s ceremony.<\/p>\n

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“There’s no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She’s not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol’s sake,”\u00a0a source told PEOPLE<\/a>\u00a0on Jan. 15. “Michelle doesn’t do anything because it’s expected or it’s protocol or it’s tradition.”<\/p>\n

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US First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama escort former US President George W. Bush and his wife Laura \u2014 January 20, 2009.<\/span>JIM WATSON\/AFP via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The source added that Michelle \u201cdoesn’t feel the need to be a public figure anymore,\u201d after serving as a first lady from 2009 to 2017 during Barack\u2019s presidency.<\/p>\n

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The insider also made note of Trump’s history of\u00a0verbally attacking the Obamas<\/a>\u00a0and making disparaging comments about people of color, which may have also contributed to Michelle\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n

Still, Barack and George seemed to enjoy each other\u2019s company at the inauguration, as well as other recent events.<\/p>\n

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During\u00a0Jimmy Carter<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0state funeral<\/a>\u00a0on Jan. 9,\u00a0all of the living U.S. presidents<\/a>\u00a0and all of the surviving first ladies (except Michelle due to a scheduling conflict) paid their respects to the 39th American president in Washington at the National Cathedral.<\/p>\n

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With Barack already being seated next to\u00a0Donald<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Melania Trump<\/a>, when George and Laura made their way to their seats on the same row, George gave Barack\u00a0a friendly tap on the belly<\/a>\u00a0with his knuckles.<\/p>\n

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Funeral service for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.<\/span>Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After George\u2019s presidency from 2001 to 2009, Barack followed with two consecutive terms as well.<\/p>\n

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During a 2018 interview with\u00a0Today<\/em>, Michelle referred to George as \u201cmy partner in crime<\/a>\u00a0at every major thing where all the formers gather.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cSo we\u2019re together all the time, and I love him to death,\u201d she continued at the time, calling the 43rd president a \u201cwonderful\u201d and \u201cfunny\u201d man.<\/p>\n

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That same year,\u00a0George told PEOPLE<\/a>, \u201c[Michelle] kind of likes my sense of humor. Anybody who likes my sense of humor, I immediately like.\u201d<\/p>\n

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