Five living presidents sit together and we’d love to know what the conversation is
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All five living presidents were present at the Washington funeral of former US President Jimmy Carter today. Carter, who considered himself an outsider even as he sat in the Oval Office as the 39th US president, is being honoured today in the capitol before he will be buried in his small hometown in Georgia.
![[Former US President Barack Obama speaks with President-elect Donald Trump before the State Funeral Service for former US President Jimmy Carter at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235459895-fccc.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
President Joe Biden, who was the first sitting senator to endorse Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign, will give the eulogy for him. Former presidents Barack Obama, George Bush and Bill Clinton; along with current president Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trump all sat somberly in the church as Carter’s coffin was brought in.
![[Former President Barack Obama talks with President-elect Donald Trump, next to Melania Trump, as they arrive to attend the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235459461-bb22.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Prior to the start of the service, some of the former commander-in-chiefs were seen exchanging niceties. It’s unclear what the two presidents chatted about, but both seemed to chuckle. The service is a sombre sendoff for a president revered for his faith, charity work and simple way of living.
![[WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 09: U.S. Military Body Bearers carry the flag-draped casket bearing the remains of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter into the Washington National Cathedral for his state funeral on January 09, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Joe Biden declared today a national day of mourning for Carter, the 39th President of the United States, who died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235461979-f3d9-e1736436989557.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The rare gathering of commanders-in-chief is one example of how Thursday will be an unusual moment of coming together for the nation. Formal ceremonies and remembrances from political leaders, business titans and rank-and-file citizens have honoured Carter for decency and for using a prodigious work ethic to do more than obtain political power.
![[US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive for the State Funeral Service for former US President Jimmy Carter at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235460246-a49e.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
