Former President George W. Bush surprised former first lady Michelle Obama with a tin of Altoids mints at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on Thursday, reviving one of the most memorable moments from their bipartisan friendship.
Bush gave Michelle Obama the mints as a deliberate callback to their widely shared exchange at the funeral of the late Sen. John McCain in 2018, where he quietly slipped her an Altoid while they were seated together.
The lighthearted gesture went viral for the warm relationship the pair have maintained despite belonging to opposing political parties.
The latest exchange took place backstage before the dedication ceremony, with former President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton seen laughing as Bush handed over the mints.
Bush had planned the surprise in advance
The reunion was not spontaneous.
Weeks before the ceremony, Bush’s daughter, Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager, revealed that her father intended to recreate the famous moment.
“He’s ordered a case of Altoids, and he’ll be bringing that to Mrs. Obama,” Bush Hager said during a May episode of the Today show while speaking with co-host Savannah Guthrie.
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That promise came true on Thursday when Bush presented Michelle Obama with the familiar tin of mints before the ceremony began.
How did the original Altoids moment become viral?
The original exchange took place during Sen. John McCain’s funeral in Washington in September 2018.
Earlier this year, Bush explained the story during a conversation with Jenna Bush Hager, saying he had offered Michelle Obama an Altoid simply because he thought she might like one.
“I get a little antsy, as I’m sure you know, and I was sitting next to Michelle. That’s who I sit next to at funerals,” Bush recalled. “I was kind of teasing her and stuff, and I slipped her an Altoid. Not as a joke, but I thought she might want one.”
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Bush said he only realized the moment had become an internet sensation afterward. “And I got in the car afterwards, and you said, ‘You’re trending,'” he told his daughter. “I didn’t know what trending meant.”
The opening of the Obama Presidential Center brought together several current and former US leaders. According to People, all living US presidents and first ladies attended the ceremony except President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump.
