At President Carter’s funeral on Thursday, several presidents and vice presidents spoke to each other not just through their words but through their actions — who they whispered to, who they grimaced at, who they playfully jabbed, and who they ignored entirely. 

Some of the tension of the bruising 2024 campaign seemed to be eased in the church pews at the National Cathedral, but it’s clear from their own actions that there are grudges that may never be let go.

Carter, after his long journey from Plains to Atlanta to the nation’s capital, was honored in the customary funeral for former presidents at the cathedral, where other former presidents and elected leaders gather. The presidential funeral has become a kind of sporting event for political observers, as they get to see Republicans and Democrats sit in the front pews, spending time with each other as they celebrated the life of their fellow president. 

Thursday was no different, as the CSPAN cameras caught the presidents entering the room and joining in the first two rows of the cathedral. President Clinton, President Bush, and President Trump all sat in the second row with their wives. President Biden and Vice President Harris, along with their spouses, sat in the front row. Former first lady Michelle Obama did not attend, leaving her husband sandwiched between Trump and former first lady Laura Bush. 

Mr. Obama and Trump — despite their long history — were seen talking for an extended period of time as they sat directly behind Ms. Harris and her husband. Immediately after Mr. Obama sat down, Trump leaned in with a smile to whisper something to him. Mr. Obama smiled back, and at one point let out a laugh in response to something Trump had said. Whatever Trump said appeared to be so funny that Mr. Obama had to close his eyes and contain himself from laughing too loudly as the choir sang. 

When Mr. and Mrs. Bush entered the pew with the other formers, he made sure to offer a warm Texas greeting to Mr. Obama. As Mr. Bush shimmied his way down the pew row to get past his seat, he had to get through Mr. Obama and Trump. As he made his way past his successor, he tapped Mr. Obama’s stomach with the back of his hand. 

Mr. Bush and his wife were warmly greeted by Vice Presidents Pence, Gore, and Quayle, who were all sitting just behind them in the third row. Mrs. Pence, who smiled and shook the Bushes hands, did not have the same reaction for the Trumps. When Trump and his wife made their way down the pew, they shook the hands of Messrs. Gore and Pence, though Mrs. Pence remained in her seat, read the funeral program, and did not acknowledge their presence. 

Ms. Harris similarly did not greet the Trumps when she entered the room, though she was sitting one row ahead of all the former presidents alongside her husband Doug Emhoff. After she took her seat, she looked back over her shoulder, seemingly to talk to Mr. Obama, though when she noticed that Mr. Obama and Trump were whispering to each other, she turned back around. 

This isn’t the first time that funerals at the National Cathedral, aided by CSPAN cameras, have made some viral moments. In 2018, following the death of Senator McCain, most of the former presidents attended his service at the cathedral. At one point, Mrs. Obama was seen passing a piece of candy or gum to Mr. Bush.