© 2026 ABC News

He previously passed her a cough drop when they were seated next to each other at Sen. John McCain's memorial service at the National Cathedral on Sept. 1.

\"I didn't realize at the time that anybody noticed what we were doing,\" Michelle Obama later said about the McCain funeral during an interview on Today.

She said that she and Bush \"are forever seatmates, because of protocol, that's how we sit at all the official functions so he is my partner in crime at every major thing where all the 'formers' gather.\"

\"He was getting a cough drop from Laura and I looked over and I said 'Hand me a cough drop' and he was like 'Oh okay,' and I will add that they were old cough drops. That's the funny thing because they were in the little White House box, the little Altoids. I was like 'How long have you had these?' and he said 'A long time, we've got a lot of these,'\" Michelle Obama said on Today.

The connection between the two has been clear at various public events, including during the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016, when the pair shared a big hug.

\"PHOTO:
David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images
PHOTO: First Lady Michelle Obama hugs former President George W Bush at the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, Sept. 24, 2016.
>

\"I love him to death. He's a wonderful man, he's a funny man,\" Michelle Obama said of George W. Bush during that Today interview.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/blink-miss-moment-george-bush-michelle-obama-dads/story?id=59625279","legacySlug":"/news/story/blink-miss-moment-george-bush-michelle-obama-dads-59625279","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"18:33","publishDate":"12-05-2018","updatedTime":"19:30","updatedDate":"12-05-2018","socialImage":{"alt":"Former president George W. Bush reaches past President Donald Trump to greet former first Lady Michelle Obama during the funeral service former president George H.W. Bush at the Washington National Cathedral, Dec. 5, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Dec. 5, 2018.","credit":"Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/bush-michelle-mint-gty-ps-181205_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"12/5/2018 18:33:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":59625279,"headline":"Bush, Michelle Obama share a special handshake","mediaAssetTitle":"Awkward funeral","description":"President Bush seemed to grasp something as he shook Michelle Obama's hand. ","duration":"2:19","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/12/181205_abc_spec_rep_bush_trump_arrives_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["134611251","134403231","133741861"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"July 9, 2026","headline":"Family speaks out after man died in ICE shooting in Texas","section":"News","slug":"/video/134611251","id":"134611251","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Family speaks out after man died in ICE shooting in Texas","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Family speaks out after man died in ICE shooting in Texas","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"July 2, 2026","headline":"Track and timing of the life-threatening heat wave","section":"News","slug":"/video/134403231","id":"134403231","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Track and timing of the life-threatening heat wave","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Track and timing of the life-threatening heat wave","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"June 10, 2026","headline":"NASA unveils Artemis III crew","section":"News","slug":"/video/133741861","id":"133741861","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: NASA unveils Artemis III crew","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: NASA unveils Artemis III crew","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Bush, Michelle Obama share a special handshake","description":"President Bush seemed to grasp something as he shook Michelle Obama's hand. ","duration":"2:19","uploadDate":"12-05-2018","publication":"12-05-2018","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/12/181205_abc_spec_rep_bush_trump_arrives_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/12/181205_abc_spec_rep_bush_trump_arrives_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/blink-miss-moment-george-bush-michelle-obama-dads-59625279"}},"playlist":[{"id":"134708317","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134548164","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134542058","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134416060","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134443994","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134406623","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134358132","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134353508","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134335187","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134334942","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134302445","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134246001","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134202757","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134211156","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134179882","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134130187","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134161969","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134164484","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134145709","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134134667","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Bush, Michelle Obama share a special handshake","pubTime":"13:33","pubDate":"12-05-2018","modTime":"14:30","modDate":"12-05-2018","taxonomyTags":"none","id":59625279,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Bush, Michelle Obama share a special handshake","mediaAssetTitle":"Awkward funeral","videoId":59625279,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/blink-miss-moment-george-bush-michelle-obama-dads-59625279"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/59625279","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/59625279","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};