George W. Bush on affection for Michelle Obama: ‘We just took to each other’
“She kind of likes my sense of humor. Anybody who likes my sense of humor, I immediately like,” Bush said of the former First Lady.
During an interview about the launch of his first art book and new exhibit, Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors, former president George W. Bush spoke to one of the more unlikely friendships he has cultivated: he honestly likes Michelle Obama.
“She kind of likes my sense of humor. Anybody who likes my sense of humor, I immediately like,” Bush said of the former first lady.
He said that they regularly sat next to each other at official events such as the opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, where an image of the two of them hugging went viral. Bush said the moment was “a genuine expression of affection.”
“I can’t remember where else I’ve sat next to her, but I probably have a few wise cracks and she seemed to like it okay,” he recalled. “I needle her a little bit and around her, I’m fairly lighthearted. [The Obamas] are around serious people all the time and we just took to each other.”
In the current political climate of extreme divisiveness, it’s nice to see genuine friendship between two famous political figures on opposite sides of the aisle.
