Three days after the January 6 anniversary, with indelible images of costumed rioters running amok in the Capitol, former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral service at the National Cathedral presented a different kind of historical image, one that spoke not of inverted norms, but about preservation and strength.
It was a photo, unofficial but surely remembered and dissected for years, both for the occasion and its rarity, of newly elected President Donald J. Trump and his wife Melania, seated next to President Barack Obama, who was sitting next to George W. Bush and his wife Laura, who stood next to Bill and Hillary Clinton. They all sat in a row behind President Biden and Jill Biden, and they all wore remarkably similar dark suits, ties in shades of black to sky blue, and black suits and jackets. (Michelle Obama was the only presidential spouse not in attendance, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts.)
That meant that for the first time since Trump began his assault on what he called the Washington swamp, he and the other four living presidents, including the three who campaigned against him, appeared to be on the same page. Not because of a dress code, but because of their coded clothing.
As clear a statement was made about transition of power and continuity as anything said during the Senate’s actual certification of the election earlier this week (or something Mr. Trump and Mr. Obama seemed to chuckle about privately). And it suggested that Mr. Trump was fully aware of what it meant to look like he was a traditional part of the very, very exclusive club that is the presidency, even as he tries to transform it.
As Jason Carter, one of Mr. Carter’s grandsons, told the men who had sat in the Oval Office, they share a knowledge of “the human side of the presidency like no other.”
Indeed, it was not unimportant that, for the first time since he began his second attempt at the presidency, Trump, at a moment of such public spectacle, donned his signature uniform of a blue flag suit, a white shirt and a bright red tie. left. outfit that matches the flag and has become the de facto uniform of most Republicans in the new administration.
Instead, he wore a darker suit and Democratic blue tie, one that seemed to extend across the aisle in honor of the man lying in state, and one that was slightly brighter than Mr. Bush’s and in the same color family as the man lying in state. tie worn by Mr. Biden. Sure, it was just an accessory, but the harmonies were hard to miss in the sea of black.
It was also not unimportant that Mrs. Trump – who had distinguished herself from the other first ladies dressed in black at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral by wearing a gray Dior suit – had chosen a black Valentino coat with a wide white collar, sprinkled with a print of black and white. white flowers. In the coat she fit seamlessly with Dr. Biden in her black Schiaparelli suit (the same one Dr. Biden had worn Funeral service of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey), but also with Mrs. Clinton in her black trouser suit and Mrs. Bush in her black dress.
Trump’s transition team has said one of the differences between the president’s first term and plans for his second is that this time around, Mr. Trump understands how the city works. In his many social media posts and public statements, Mr. Trump often seems to enjoy throwing verbal grenades at that city, but at Mr. Carter’s funeral he seemed, for a moment, to try to appear as if he was taking part was part of Het.
