Trump’s Viral Conversation With Obama Is Finally Decoded

A humorous conversation between former President Barack Obama and then President-elect Donald Trump has finally been decoded after it was revealed what Trump whispered in his predecessor’s ear that might have made him smile and laugh.

The two men gathered for the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, who died at the age of 100 shortly after the election. Seated near one another in a Georgia church, Trump and Obama were downright friendly despite their political differences, trading thoughts below their breath like misbehaving choir boys at a church service.

Their conversation stunned observers and prompted lip readers to try and interpret what the two spoke about. Now, a new book by three political reporters reveals that Trump had actually offered to play golf with Obama at one of his famous courses.

According to “2024,” the forthcoming tell-all by Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf, Trump invited Obama to hit the links by “enticing him with descriptions” of his lush, green courses around the world.

Trump owns a total of 15 courses, 11 of which are in the U.S.

WATCH:

Donald Trump & Barack Obama laughing together at Jimmy Carter’s funeral pic.twitter.com/yGZME4In9l

— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) January 9, 2025

It’s unclear in the book’s passages if Obama laughed because of Trump’s offer or some other reason. There were also lighthearted moments where the president-elect could be seen cracking up as Obama leaned past Melania and whispered to him, he later confirmed.

“It did look very friendly, I must say. I didn’t realize how friendly it looked. I saw it on your wonderful network just a little while ago before I came in and I said, ‘Boy, they look like two people that like each other,'” he told reporters following the service.

The levity was even more striking given how little Kamala Harris, just weeks off her loss to Trump, seemed to care for it. Seated just feet away from the bantering duo, the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee grimaced and looked around the room as if she’d rather have been anywhere else that day.

Forensic lip reader Jeremy Freeman told the Daily Mail in January that he believed Trump and Obama appeared to be discussing plans to find a private place to talk. He claimed to have seen Trump specifically utter the phrase “quiet place” at some point during their back-and-forth.

The last known face-to-face conversation between both presidents occurred in 2016 when the Obamas greeted the Trumps during transition meetings at the White House. Obama later recalled expressing his deep reservations about North Korea and the threat the unstable country posed to the global order.

Trump famously disregarded that advice, becoming the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea during his visit with leader Kim Jong Un.

Missing from Carter’s funeral was former First Lady Michelle Obama, who told associates that she has dropped her diplomatic act when it comes to treating Trump like a president. She reportedly couldn’t bear the thought of sitting near him while the Republican sat by her husband, according to sources who spoke with her at the time.