Fact Checking Media Stories About Donald Trump At The George HW Bush Funeral

Did Donald Trump really not put his hand over his heart at George H.W. Bush’s funeral? Did he really not shake Jimmy Carter’s hand? Let’s fact-check some of the stuff the media said about the president’s behavior during this solemn state event.

Donald Trump is under fire for his actions, or in many cases, his reported lack of action, during the public memorial to honor former president George H.W. Bush. Many media reports have circulated that Trump failed to put his hand over his heart during the service when other former presidents and state officials at the event did.

Snopes checked into the claims, and found them “mostly false.” While there are a lot of images of Donald Trump standing with his arms at his sides during the service, he did put his hand over his heart when the casket passed him.

There were moments when Trump didn’t have his hand over his heart, though many around him did. The images from the event shared on social media are not doctored. However, he did briefly place his hand on his chest, and images have been captured of this to prove it. He lowered his hand before others did, and this is what’s seen in pictures that have now been widely circulated.

Another big story circulating about Trump at the funeral is his lack of interaction with Jimmy Carter. There were lots of reports that Trump made no effort to shake hands with Carter. And this may be true, but the Washington Post reported that Carter actually avoided Trump. According to the publication, Carter looked at his watch to avoid shaking Donald Trump’s hand.

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, former President Barack Obama and many current and former officials went to former President George H.W. Bush's funeral at Washington National Cathedral. This annotated photo shows some of the attendees. https://t.co/lRKRMex5mH pic.twitter.com/OZisitOD9z

— CNN (@CNN) December 6, 2018

Trump also got media heat for not reciting the Apostles’ Creed during the funeral. This is a prayer dating to the fourth century that’s recited as a statement of Christian beliefs. It’s pretty standard funeral stuff, but Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump didn’t go along with the crowd at the service for George H.W. Bush, according to USA Today and many other media reports.

This story appears to be true. Trump can clearly be seen not reciting the words with everyone else. It was a choice that drew a lot of criticism on social media, though some users said they didn’t care one way or the other, according to People.

George H.W. Bush was the 41st President of the U.S. and served two terms as Vice President under Ronald Reagan. He is the father of the 43rd President, George W. Bush.