Tradition topped tension at formerPresident George H.W. Bush‘s state funeral on Wednesday when former presidential couples,BillandHillary Clinton, andBarackandMichelle Obama, sat next to President Donald Trump and First LadyMelania Trumpat the National Cathedral.
Next to the Clintons satJimmy Carterand wife Rosalynn, reflecting the office-holding chronological order of the five living presidents. (Bush’s oldest son, formerPresident George W. Bush, was seated in the first row on the opposite side of the aisle alongside wifeLaura, his siblings and their spouses.)
President Trump and wife Melania greeted the Obamas with handshakes upon arrival, but did not appear to immediately acknowledge the Clintons.
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George H.W. Bush’s funeral.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty
While the seating arrangements are in keeping with historical precedence, the criticism President Trump has received from his predecessors has given greater significance to the presidential lineup.
“He mentioned having Trump at his funeral because it is protocol and George had deep respect for the office of the presidency — so he would have it no other way,” Quayle previously told PEOPLE, recalling a recent conversation with Bush before his death.
The 41st presidentdied on Nov. 30 at the age of 94.
George H.W. Bush’s funeral.Chip Somodevilla/Getty
George H.W. Bush’s funeral.ERIK S LESSER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
The decision to have President Trump at his funeral reflects Bush’s strong sense of duty, since the former businessman has disparaged the Bush family for years — so much so that Bush’s late wife,Barbara Bush, didn’t want the president at her funeral. (Shedied in April, just a short eight months before her beloved husband of more than 70 years).
“The mean Twitters and the name-calling — Bush found that gauche and that is why Barbara Bush did not want Trump at her funeral,” presidential historian and family friend Douglas Brinkley told PEOPLE.
“We are Americans. We’re supposed to stand up to bullies, not follow them,” former President Obama said after Trumpfailed to fully condemn the fatal white supremacist rallyin Charlottesville, Virginia, last year, according to The Hill. “We’re supposed to stand up to discrimination and we’re sure as heck supposed to stand up clearly and unequivocally to Nazi sympathizers.”
This is just one of a number of issues in which Obama has been critical of President Trump. And in September, Mrs. Clinton summarized herown feelings about the current administrationwith an essay forThe Atlantictitled,“American Democracy Is In Crisis.”
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Their desire to honor the former president is evident in the statements given following Bush’s death. Mrs. Obama wrote on Instagram that Bush “was an extraordinary example for us all.”
On Dec. 1, former secretary of state Mrs. Clinton wrote, “I always valued his desire to listen, look at evidence & ask for ideas, even from people w/ different beliefs. My heart goes out to the entire Bush family.”
The presidential seating arrangements are in keeping with a longtime tradition. At formerPresident Ronald Reagan‘s funeral in 2004 and formerPresident Gerald Ford‘s in 2007, the living presidents and first ladies in attendance sat in two rows. While the seating arrangement at Reagan’s service also reflected the order of the administrations, Ford’s did not.
It is also tradition for the current president to attend.
Susan Page,USA Today‘s Washington bureau chief who is writing a biography of Barbara Bush, told PEOPLE that the move to welcome Trump is to be expected.
“Yes, the modern tradition is that sitting presidents attend the funerals of past presidents,” she said.
President Trump tweeted out his respects for Bush in the days following the 41st president’s death.
On Monday, the president added, “Looking forward to being with the Bush Family to pay my respects to President George H.W. Bush.”
In a statement, the Trumps wrote about Bush’s legacy, includinghis signature phrase about volunteerism, “a thousand points of light,” that Trumpridiculed at a rally in July.
“Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family, and country, President Bush inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service — to be, in his words, ‘a thousand points of light’ illuminating the greatness, hope, and opportunity of America to the world,” the statement said.
source: people.com
