Donald Trump saw his former vice president Mike Pence for the first time in nearly four years during a brief, tense encounter at President Jimmy Carter’s funeral Thursday. As guests were arriving at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Pence stood up to greet Trump and his wife Melania as they walked by. The two men shook hands without smiling, with Trump pausing for just a few seconds before going to take his seat. CNN’s Jake Tapper confirmed it was the first time they’d seen each other since leaving office in January 2021. Since then, Trump has slammed his vice president for not going along with his plan to illegally overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win. Court documents also revealed that after a mob of Trump’s supporters attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021—with some of the rioters chanting “Hang Mike Pence!”—Trump allegedly responded to reports Pence was in danger by saying, “So what?” Asked in November 2021 what he thought about the chants, Trump all but defended the insurrectionists, saying, “Well, the people were very angry.” Pence still rose to politely shake Trump’s hand on Thursday, and apparently murmured a greeting. His wife Karen, however, stayed seated and avoiding making eye contact until Trump and Melania had passed.
