Recalling the momentous moment the two hugged at the opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and their interaction at the late Senator John McCain’s funeral in 2018, where he gave her an Altoid, Bush said he was shocked was because of how people reacted.
“The American people were so surprised that Michelle Obama and I could become friends,” Bush said in an interview on “CBS Sunday Morning.” “Americans are so polarized in their thinking that they can’t imagine a George W. Bush and a Michelle Obama being friends.”
“It was a friendship,” added former first lady Laura Bush.
In the interview, Bush called on Congress to tone down the “harsh rhetoric” about immigration, adding that he hopes it will “set a more respectful tone” for immigrants and lead to more policy change.
Bush has released a new book of immigrant paintings called “Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants.” The former president said the book will not change policy, but added that he is a “soft voice” among people trying to change.