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From the moment he crossed the transept of Washington's very tall national cathedral, tore his cloak and took his place in the tribune, President Trump was an outsider.
When the others sang an opening hymn, his mouth did it. not moving. When others read the symbol of the apostles, he stood stoically. And when a eulogy after the other witnessed to George HW's integrity and Bush's character, as well as his honesty, his bravery and his compassion, Trump sat down and listened, often the crossed lips and crossed arms on the chest.
Wednesday's national funeral was carefully orchestrated to represent a man and his important milestones – Bush, the father, the friend, the war hero, and the official for life. But inevitably, Trump too became a reality, because it was impossible to pay tribute to the 41st president without establishing implicit contradictions with the 45.
"His code of life was as follows:" Tell the truth. Do not blame people. To be strong. Do your best. Make an effort. Forgive. Stay on course, "said Bush biographer Jon Meacham in his eulogy. "And it was, and it's still the most American creed."
The mourners did not deliver Trump's burning rebuke, which the nation witnessed in September on the occasion of the funeral of Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.). But while they were designed to honor Bush's legacy, their words also served to underscore the singular nature of Trump's presidency.
Trump was in the company of all his predecessors alive for the first time on Wednesday, and the meeting was obviously uncomfortable. At 10:49 am, when Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, entered the cathedral, a cold silence reigned over the benches filled with American dignitaries and foreign leaders, past and present. Trump handed his black coat to a military assistant and took a seat in the driveway next to his wife, with three former presidents and first ladies sitting by his side.
First, President Trump declared that he was illegitimate (Barack Obama); then the first lady, he called a big spender of taxpayers' money (Michelle Obama); then, the president called the worst abuser of women (Bill Clinton); the first lady and secretary of state, he said, should be in prison (Hillary Clinton); then the president, he said, was the second worst behind Obama (Jimmy Carter) and his wife, Rosalynn.
The Trumps and Obamas greeted each other abruptly, but only Melania Trump managed to shake herself. hands with Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton did not recognize the trump cards, keeping her eyes straight in front of her as if she were determined not to look into the eyes of the man who continues, two years after the 2016 election, to Inspire the slogans "Let's lock her up!" at her gatherings.
From left to right: President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter listen to George W. Bush's speech delivered at the University of New York. his father's burial at Washington's National Cathedral on December 5th. (Alex Brandon / AP)
The coldness of Trump's relationship with his predecessors was even more evident when former President George W. Bush entered the cathedral a few minutes later. Bush shook hands cheerfully with each of the other presidents and first ladies. He slid what looked like a candy to a smiling Michelle Obama – a reminder of McCain's funeral, when the video of Bush giving candy to Obama became viral on social media.
A military guard wearing George H.W. Bush draped with the Bush flag in front of the altar, the Trumps joined the Obama and Clinton holding their right hand on their hearts.
Trump's cabinet members and assistants seemed to blend easily into the audience. Vice President Pence and his wife, Karen, went astray to exchange jokes with the Clinton and Obama. Kellyanne Conway, White House Councilor, and Stephen Miller, Policy Director, walked around the nave of the cathedral. Just behind the presidents and vice-presidents, Ivanka Trump was sitting next to Chelsea Clinton, removing from the public eye any hostility that might exist between them.
It was President Trump who seemed the most misplaced. For about two hours he was silent, the rare event where the president was not the center of attention, but a mere observer.
Since he learned of Bush 's death last Friday, Trump has striven to be magnanimous – to act as he often claims that he could do it, "presidential". Trump opened the doors of Blair House to the Bush. He sent Air Force One to transport the body of the late president and members of the Bush family to and from Houston. Meanwhile, he has refrained from publicly reacting to Bush 's celebration of life that lasted nearly a week and its contrasts with Trump' s.
The first of Bush's five praises at the funeral on Wednesday was Meacham, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. to Bush while he was looking for the life of the former president for the biography of 2015, " Destiny and Power." Meacham explained what Bush meant by his famous phrase "thousand points of light" on volunteering, which Trump mocked this summer as ineffective and confusing. slogan.
"The best angels of our nature" of Abraham Lincoln and George HW Bush's "thousand points of light" are couplets in the American national anthem, as Lincoln and Bush have both called us to privilege the right, to hope rather than to fear and not to take into account our worst impulses but our best instincts. Meacham said
The next eulogy, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, praised Bush's three achievements: the negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. American, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Air Quality Act.
a word for that. This is called "leadership," said Mulroney. . Let me tell you that when George Bush was President of the United States of America, all the world's heads of government knew that they were dealing with a gentleman, an authentic, distinguished, resolute leader and courageous. "
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for the funeral. (Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty Images)
The hearing did not lose sight of Trump's criticism of NAFTA as one of the worst trade deals of all time; "is mocked by the physical disability of a journalist;
Trump sat for much of Mulroney's speech crossing his arms over his chest or holding his hands between his knees, sometimes leaning toward his seat
Trump's body language relaxed when he was before. Senator Alan Simpson has made a lighter and more humorous memory of his long-time friend. Trump laughs as Simpson tells stories of service in Washington with Bush; At one point, Simpson sang the most famous phrase in the play "Evita": "Do not Cry for me, Argentina!"
But Simpson, too, has learned a more serious lesson by talking about the humility and kindness of Bush. "Those who take the high road of humility to Washington are not bothered by the heavy traffic," he added, adding that "hatred corrodes the container in which it is transported."
While he was assuming the presidency, Bush summoned all the witnesses. The Americans want to create a "gentler" and "softer" nation – a message that Trump, then real estate promoter of Manhattan and tabloid celebrity, lacks.
"I love George Bush a lot, I support him and I will always do it," Trump said in a 1990 interview with Playboy. "But I do not agree with him when he talks about a kinder, gentler America. I think that if this country becomes gentler or softer, it will literally cease to exist. "
At Wednesday's funeral, the most emotional eulogy was that of Bush's eldest son, George W., who celebrated his father's character.
]" He m showed what it means to be a president who sits with integrity, who drives with courage and acts with love in the heart for the citizens of our country, "said Bush.
Trump applauded Bush's speech, then reverend Dr. Russell Jones Levenson Jr., who had been a pastor of St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, went to the pulpit for a final eulogy and his reference was as direct as everyone else was to Trump era.
"Some said that it was the end of an era," said Levenson. "But it's not obligatory. It may be an invitation to fill the void left behind. "
After the choir has rung and the bells are ringing, once the coffin of Bush has been t transported to the central aisle and when loaded into a hearse, the Trumps left the cathedral. quickly by a side exit. The president was brought back to the White House. He returned to the isolation and comfort of the oval office.
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