Former Vice President Mike Pence said on Friday that he “welcomed” his interaction with his one-time boss and running mate, Donald Trump when the two men met face to face for the first time in four years at former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral.
The service’s broadcast featured several memorable moments, including former President George W. Bush playfully tapping former President Barack Obama on the stomach and a notable conversation between Obama and Trump within earshot of Vice President Kamala Harris.
The event also spotlighted a handshake and a brief exchange between Trump and Pence, drawing considerable attention.
It was the first time the two met and spoke since January 6, 2021, when thousands of MAGA supporters stormed the Capitol, and Pence ignored Trump’s wishes by certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory, the Washington Times reported.
“The opportunity to speak to the president yesterday is something that I appreciated, I welcomed,” Pence told Christianity Today Editor-in-Chief Russell Moore for a podcast episode slated to air Wednesday.
“I’ve really been blessed at how much I’ve heard from people around the country who saw [our] handshake and, in that handshake, saw some hope that we might be moving past those difficult days,” he continued. “That’s certainly my hope.”
After their term together, Pence became a prominent Trump critic—and vice versa—even mounting a failed bid for the White House last year.
But not everyone took the opportunity of the Carter funeral to let bygones be bygones. Pence’s wife, Karen, refused to even acknowledge the president-elect and incoming first lady, Melania Trump, as video showed.
Trump “greeted me when he came down the aisle. I stood up, extended my hand. He shook my hand. I said, ‘Congratulations, Mr. President,’ and he said, ‘Thanks, Mike,’” Pence said. “You’d have to ask my wife about her posture, but we’ve been married 44 years, and she loves her husband, and her husband respects her deeply.”
The snub occurred as the Trumps arrived at the Washington National Cathedral, making their first significant public appearance since the president-elect’s November victory.
