President-elect Donald Trump remarked Thursday that he and former President Barack Obama "probably do" like each other, despite their history of political rivalry. Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump responded to a reporter's question about a viral video showing the two conversing during President Jimmy Carter's funeral earlier that day. "I didn’t realize how friendly it looked," Trump said. "I saw it and thought, ‘Boy, they look like two people who like each other.’ And we probably do. Our philosophies are a little different, but we probably do. I don’t know. We just got along. But I get along with just about everybody." An adviser for Obama did not respond to a request for comment Thursday evening. Despite these comments, Trump and Obama have often traded sharp criticism over the years. Trump famously promoted the debunked birther conspiracy, falsely claiming Obama was not born in the United States. He has also labeled Obama a "terrible" president and referred to former First Lady Michelle Obama as "nasty" during an October exchange.
The Obamas, in turn, have been vocal in their criticism of Trump. During the last campaign, Barack Obama described Trump as a "78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining since he descended his golden escalator." Michelle Obama warned of the "brutally serious" consequences of Trump returning to the presidency.
However, not all their interactions have been contentious. In a rare moment of approval, Trump told CNN in August that he likes Obama, calling him "a nice gentleman" and expressing respect for the former president and first lady.
Their initial meeting after Trump’s 2016 victory also had a conciliatory tone, with Obama describing their discussion as "excellent" and "wide-ranging." Trump, in turn, called the visit "a great honor."