George W. Bush opens up about Altoids and his friendship with Michelle Obama

Former President George W. Bush has opened up about his friendship with former First Lady Michelle Obama and the viral Altoids incident involving them both. ​Bush was spotted subtly placing the mint into Obama’s hand all the way back in September 2018, when the pair were seated next to each other at Senator John McCain’s funeral. ​Speaking to Today, the former president lifted the lid on his theory about why his friendship with Obama, whose husband succeeded him as commander in chief, and the Altoid moment garnered so much attention. ​“I get a little antsy, as I’m sure you know,” he told Jenna Bush Hager, his daughter. “And I was sitting next to Michelle, that’s who I sit next to at funerals.​Former President George W. Bush has opened up about slipping an Altoid to former First Lady Michelle Obama during a funeral in 2018 (Pool clip)“I was kinda teasing her and stuff, and I slipped her an Altoid,” Bush continued. “Not as a joke, but I thought she might want one.​“And I got in the car afterwards, and she said, 'You’re trending,’” he chuckled. “I didn’t know what trending meant.​”Concluding, Bush added, “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.”​The pair’s friendship has been a subject of public interest for some time, with Bush and Obama also making headlines after they embraced at the dedication ceremony for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016. ​In December 2018, Bush poked fun at the minty moment by offering another to the first lady at his father, former President George H.W. Bush’s, funeral. ​The pair have often been spotted together while at public appearances, with Obama describing Bush as her ‘partner-in-crime’ (CBS Sunday Morning)That same year, Michelle Obama described Bush as her “partner-in-crime” during an interview with Today. A year later, she told the show that the pair’s “values are the same.”​“We disagree on policy, but we don’t disagree on humanity,” she continued. “We don’t disagree about love and compassion.”​The former first lady added, “I think that’s true for all of us. It’s just that we get lost in our fear of what’s different.”​Jenna Bush Hager shared that after their recent interview, her father said he planned to bring a “crate of Altoids” to the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in the summer. Bush Hager has interviewed her father, as well as former President Clinton, former President Obama and former President Biden for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. ​During the segment, each of the politicians shared their thoughts on democracy.​Concluding his portion of the program, Bush urged viewers to be hopeful about the United States’ future.​“I would hope people would take a look at our history and realize we’re an imperfect nation trying to be more perfect, but be optimistic about the future of the country,” he said.