The funeral of former US President Jimmy Carter was attended by five current and former American presidents. However, the photo shared by Vice President Kamala Harris and the Carter Center only featured four of them. The one missing was the 45th and the 47th President of the United States Donald Trump.
Trump attended Carter’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral with his wife, Melania Trump. This was the first time both Harris and Trump came face to face after the former lost a bitterly fought campaign in the 2024 US presidential elections. The photograph shared from the vice president’s official social media account only featured three Democrats.
The photo showed current US President Joe Biden, along with former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, standing with their hands over their hearts. The face of former President George Bush, a Republican, was obstructed by Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff while he was standing next to her in the front row.
Was it intentional?
Trump was standing next to Obama along with his wife. However, in the photograph Harris shared, a large pillar appeared which blocked both Donald and Melania. “President Jimmy Carter loved our country,” Harris wrote in her tribute post to Carter. “He lived his faith, served the people, and left the world better than he found it," she added.
A different photograph shared by the Carter Center also did not feature Trump. In the second row, Clinton, Laura Bush and Obama are visible. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Bush are partly obscured, and the Trumps cannot be seen at all. It is unclear whether the omission was intentional since other photographs clicked at the event featured all five US Presidents.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsBeautiful moments from the service at Washington National Cathedral this morning honoring former President Jimmy Carter. pic.twitter.com/CwikJWLbjQ
— The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) January 9, 2025
The state funeral of a former American president who died at 100 was marked by a rare display of bipartisanship at a moment of deep political divisions. Obama was seen chatting amicably with Trump, who has spent years bashing the Democratic leader.
Another Republican who attended the ceremony was Trump’s former VP, Mike Pence. While the former VP supported Trump throughout the presidency, many believe that he was the main target of the January 6 riots in 2021. Following the 2020 election results, Pence refused to endorse Trump because of his involvement in the riots.
There were some dignitaries who did not shake Trump’s hand and appeared to avoid him, including Karen Pence, Mr. Pence’s wife, and Bush. Former First Lady Michelle Obama did not attend the funeral service.
With inputs from agencies.