When Pope John Paul I passed away in 2005, President George W. Bush invited his two predecessors, his father and Bill Clinton, to join him on Air Force One for the funeral, as noted by The Daily Beast. For the funeral this week of Pope Francis, Trump did not grant the same courtesy to his predecessor as president, Joe Biden.
The Daily Mail reported on Sunday that while Trump and Biden sat just five rows apart at the funeral, they did not appear to interact with each other at any point. Not only did Biden not travel with Trump on Air Force One, but Trump told reporters en route that a meeting with Biden was “not high on my list.” The president also seemed unaware until the press informed him that Biden would be attending the funeral.
The Trumps and Bidens feet apart from each other at Pope Francis’ funeral: https://t.co/90rNsPtApO pic.twitter.com/KDQHiOsBFc
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) April 26, 2025
It is unclear whether there was any discussion at any point about Biden traveling with Trump to the funeral on Air Force One. Trump continues to criticize Biden regularly on social media, despite the two having a warm meeting at the White House immediately after Trump won the 2024 election.
Trump has sometimes interacted with past political rivals at funerals, including his animated discussion with former President Barack Obama at Jimmy Carter’s funeral last December.
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Biden is Catholic, while Trump is not; Melania, the first lady, is Catholic.
Hey Main Stream Media, you guys pushed the Sleepy Joe narrative about President Joe Biden for 4 years, and nothing about grandpa Trump. You guys are full of shit! pic.twitter.com/NpT01PegzE
— Voice of Reason (@raggapegs) April 27, 2025
And while Trump regularly bashed Trump as “Sleepy Joe,” it was Trump, and not Biden, who appeared to fall asleep at the funeral, while Biden seemed to stay awake for the entire service.
Both men wore blue suits to the funeral, although Biden’s suit was certainly much darker than Trump’s.
Here are two unedited photos from Getty. Both Biden and Trump certainly wore blue suits. But you can see how certain shades of blue almost look black. This is obvious when the fabric is surrounded by true black fabrics.
Is it the end of the world? No. But it is distinct. pic.twitter.com/dj1t82l0n8
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) April 26, 2025
When Pope Benedict XVI died in 2022, after nearly a decade as Pope Emeritus, no U.S. presidents traveled to the funeral. However, Biden, who was President at the time, issued a statement, and Joe Donnelly, then the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, attended.
Photo courtesy of YouTube screengrab
