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4 Presidents and 4 First Ladies Honored Barbara Bush in This Incredible Photo


It’s not often you get past Presidents in the same room—and sometimes, with our political climate, the chances of everyone coming together like that seem close to zero. But such moments do exist—remember when five living former Presidents came together for hurricane relief last October? They looked like they were having a pretty great time, too.

Well, it’s happened again—with the addition of one very notable person from the current administration. At former First Lady Barbara Bush’s funeral on Sunday, former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama gathered for a photo together. But also, notably, joining the picture were Former First Ladies Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton (who was also very close to being President!), and Michelle Obama—as well as First Lady Melania Trump representing the current administration.

The best part? Even given the solemn context for the photo, everyone looks like they’re genuinely enjoying each other’s company (look at Melania’s smile!). Of course, everyone’s going to agree with each of the ideologies or decisions the individuals in the photo have made. Regardless, it’s beyond refreshing to see these historic figures as people, not their politics—and it’s a reminder to all of us that maybe we can find some commonalities too.

Courtesy Paul Morse-Office of George H. W. Bush

The photo’s quickly gone viral on Twitter since, with many Americans on both sides of the aisle feeling their spirits lifted by this historic coming-together.

RELATED: All Five Living Former Presidents Came Together for the One America Appeal Concert





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Donald Trump Once Said Government Shutdowns Are the Result of Incompetent Presidents


A government shutdown is officially upon us, and while Republicans and Democrats are busy exchanging aisle-crossing death stares as they negotiate the budget, the American public has been graced with a five-year-old, gloriously ironic Fox News clip of now-president Donald J. Trump offering sage advice on how a president should act when faced with looming federal paralysis.

While appearing on Fox’s On The Record in October 2013, the Apprentice host crowed his thoughts to anchor Greta Van Susteren on how to bypass a government freeze—condemning then-president Barack Obama for his inability to do so and reminding the country that the art of the deal when it comes to shutdowns on Capital Hill is simply that “you have to be a leader.”

“You have to get everybody in a room. The president has to lead,” Trump told former Fox News Host Greta Van Susteren during the on-air interview. “You have to be nice and be angry and be wild and conjole and do all sorts of things, but you have to get a deal. And, unfortunately, [Obama] has never been a dealmaker. That wasn’t his expertise before he went into politics and it’s obviously not his expertise now.”

Right.

As a reminder: The catalyst behind the current standstill in Washington stems from an inability of both sides of the aisle to agree on pending budget plans, and Trump’s inability to, well, “conjole,” as they say.

Democrats will pass the proposed budget plan only if it includes funding for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients (the federal program allowing immigrants who’ve come to the U.S. illegally as children to remain, study and work without fear of deportation). But Trump’s not having it; so herein lies the rub.

Naturally, the recirculation of this Fox News clip has given rise to burns like this:

On Twitter, the shutdown in Washington has been informally renamed as “Trump’s Shutdown,” with the hashtag “#TrumpShutdown” becoming the top-trending hashtag worldwide. Take a look:

During the conclusion of his Fox News interview, Trump says, regarding Obama’s alleged presidential incompetence at the time: “Unfortunately, this country is not moving in the right direction. It all starts with competence. You need great competence.”

Words to live by!

Watch the entire clip, below:

MORE: What the Government Shutdown Actually Means for You





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Hurricane Relief: All Five Living Former Presidents Came Together for the One America Appeal Concert


PHOTO: Rick Kern/Getty Images

A small, very exclusive club came together on stage to help raise money for hurricane relief at the “Deep From the Heart: the One America Appeal” concert at Texas A&M’s Reed Arena on Saturday night. All five living former presidents—Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter—made a rare joint appearance, their first since 2013 when they attended the dedication of George W. Bush’s presidential library in Dallas. (President Donald Trump didn’t make an in-person appearance, but sent a video message for the people at the concert.)

The ex-presidents started the One America Appeal in response to Hurricane Harvey and have since expanded to raise money for victims of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The organization’s proceeds go to help hurricane relief through several organizations: the Houston Harvey Relief Fund, Rebuild Texas Fund, Florida Disaster Fund, Unidos por Puerto Rico, and the Fund for the Virgin Islands. So far it’s raised $31 million.

“It’s important that those affected by these devastating storms know that even if the path to recovery feels like a road that goes on forever, we’re with them for the long haul,” George H.W. Bush said at the concert.

Carter told the crowd that Habitat for Humanity, which he’s worked with for 36 years, promised to build 6,000 homes in areas devastated by the storms and has about $80 million left to raise to meet its goal.

Clinton encouraged people to keep up America’s tradition of volunteerism: “We’ve been volunteering since before the Constitution, when Benjamin Franklin organized the first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia.”

President Trump thanked the former presidents for their leadership, “To presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Melania and I want to express our deep gratitude for your tremendous assistance. This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and our devotion to one another.”

On concert’s roster were Alabama, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Lee Greenwood, Sam Moore, Cassadee Pope, Yolanda Adams, Stephanie Quayle, and The Gatlins—and there was a surprise appearance by Lady Gaga. The pop star posted an Instagram with the caption, “It was an honor to be invited by these five living Presidents to perform and speak at this historic event where we put our differences aside, and put humanity first in the face of catastrophe. #OneAmericaAppeal”

It’s amazing to see these former presidents come together across party lines for a common cause—and encourage all of America to join forces to help those in need.

Related Stories:
–Jennifer Lawrence Says Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Show ‘Mother Nature’s Wrath’
–Taylor Swift Just Made a ‘Very Sizable Donation’ to Hurricane Harvey Relief
–The Kardashians Are Donating $500,000 to Hurricane Harvey Relief



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