During Jimmy Carter’s funeral back in January, Donald Trump extended an invitation to Barack Obama to join him for a round of golf as they sat together, according to an upcoming book authored by three political journalists.
The exchange, which was amicable despite their political differences, had previously been partially documented by the Daily Mail through a lip-reading specialist, but this new book uncovers more intriguing details.
The book titled ‘2024’, written by Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf, reveals that Trump tried to persuade Obama by praising the golf courses he owns around the globe.
Trump owns a total of 15 golf courses globally, with 11 of them in the United States, two in Scotland, one in Ireland and one in the United Arab Emirates.
It remains unclear if the viral moment of Obama laughing at whatever Trump said came when the golf offer came up.
There were also times when Trump, then president-elect, was seen cracking up at whatever Obama may have said, something the current president acknowledged at the time.
‘It did look very friendly, I must say. I didn’t realize how friendly it looked. I saw it on your wonderful network just a little while ago before I came in and I said, “Boy, they look like two people that like each other,”‘ he later told reporters.
Their on-camera bromance on January 9 was a far cry from how their relationship started, with Trump repeatedly accusing Obama of not being born in the US.
President Donald Trump, then president-elect, told Barack Obama at Jimmy Carter’s funeral that his staunch political enemy should come golfing with him at one of his courses, according to a new book
Their friendly banter at Carter’s funeral was also in stark contrast to how they appeared together at the funeral of former President George H.W. Bush in December 2018 (pictured)
Their friendly banter at Carter’s funeral was also in stark contrast to how they appeared together at the funeral of former President George H.W. Bush in December 2018.Â
Then, they did not sit next to one another, with Trump’s wife Melania in the middle of them.
Forensic lip reader Jeremy Freeman told Daily Mail in January that the most recent conversation between Trump and Obama was apparently centered around the two of them finding time and a private space to talk.
Trump suggested they look for a ‘quiet place’ where they could discuss the unknown matter after the service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
The last known private conversation between the two men came shortly after Trump was first elected president in 2016.
Some of that chat at the White House has since come to light, including Obama telling Trump of his deep concerns over North Korea.
At the time, Obama said Pyongyang and its nuclear and missile programs represented the greatest threat to the United States as Trump embarked on his first term.
The conversation got a lot of headlines at the time because of how opposed they’ve been to each other for the past decade
The latest conversation between Trump and Obama to date came during the funeral for Carter, the 39th president who died on December 29, 2024, at age 100.
President Joe Biden, who was the first sitting senator to endorse Carter’s 1976 run for the White House, delivered a eulogy.
Trump had Obama seated to his right, and wife Melania was to his left. Michelle Obama was not at the funeral.
At one point, Kamala Harris, seated in the row in front of Obama and Trump, turned back to look at their conversation, then turned around and let out a long sigh.Â
