People think that speakers at George H.W. Bush's funeral were subtly mocking Trump

Donald Trump really shouldn't have been the centre of attention at the funeral of George H.W. Bush on Wednesday but lo and behold he was.

Although Bush wasn't the most cherished or celebrated of presidents he was considerably more popular than the current commander in chief.

Trump presence at the funeral was always likely to be a talking point given the criticism that both families have aimed at each other in the past.

Yet, with the Obamas and the Clintons also set to be there things were bound to be very awkward and the initial greetings between the opposing couples were very awkward.

In hindsight that was probably the least of Trump's worries as during the service several speeches managed to throw a subtle but huge amount of shade on the president and his various failings.

The first of these came from Bush biographer Jon Meacham, whose words are being interpreted as a way of praising for 41st president and criticising the 45th president.

Commenting on Bush's leadership qualities and what he did for the disabled people of America, Meacham said:

A master of what Franklin Roosevelt called the science of human relationships, he believed that to whom much was given, much is expected.

And because life gave him so much, he gave back again and again and again. He stood in the breach in the Cold War against totalitarianism.

He stood in the breach in Washington against unthinking partisanship. He stood in the breach against tyranny and discrimination.

And on his watch, a wall fell in Berlin, a dictator's aggression did not stand, and doors across America opened to those with disabilities

We shouldn't need to remind you of what Donald Trump has said about disabled people in the past and how easily he has succumbed to the wills of dictators.

Meacham wasn't done there though adding that "President Bush spoke with those big strong hands", which could be true but is a little coincidental given Trump's famously small hands.

Next was former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, who served in office at the same time as Bush.

His speech paid tribute to his friend and colleague, highlighting the work on improving the quality of lives for the disabled, improving the environment and above all his leadership.

The 79-year-old said:

President Bush’s decision to go forward with strong environmental legislation, including the Clean Air Act … is a splendid gift to future generations of Americans and Canadians to savour.

In the air they breathe, in the water they drink, in the forests they enjoy and the lakes, rivers and streams they cherish.

There’s a word for this. It’s called leadership. 

And let me tell you that when George Bush was president of the United States of America, every single head of government in the world knew that they were dealing with a gentleman.

A genuine leader. One who was distinguished, resolute and brave.

Once again, this could just have been one of Bush's closest allies complimenting him on the work he did when he was presidents but it is worth highlighting that Trump is a climate change denier and is attempting to remove the US from the Paris agreement.

Then we have former Republican Senator Alan Simpson, who had known Bush since the 1960s and praised him by saying that Bush had "never hated anyone" and was a "decent and honourable man."

Those are the sort of things that would expect a close friend to say at someone's funeral but one line provoked a few chuckles and even a small raise of the eyebrows from Trump. Simpson said:

He was a man of such great humility. Those who travel the high road of humility in Washington DC are not bothered by heavy traffic.

That heavy traffic could just be a metaphor for the difficulties of US politics but let's not forget that only a few weeks ago Trump missed a WWI service in Paris due to rain and traffic congestion.

People couldn't help but point out the obvious.

However, with all this shade being thrown at him, we wouldn't be surprised if it completely went over Trump's head.

HT Someecards

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