Have any former US presidents met with Trump since he left office in 2021?

1. A conspicuous reunion at Carter’s funeral that answers the core question

Reporting from January 9, 2025, shows a definitive, observable event: the five living U.S. presidents — Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — gathered at Washington National Cathedral for Jimmy Carter’s state funeral, and Trump exchanged greetings with multiple former presidents there. AP and other outlets describe Trump shaking hands and conversing with Obama and being seated alongside Bush and Clinton, constituting clear instances of meeting after his January 2021 departure from office ^{[1] [6] [2]}. This funeral gathering is the most concrete, publicly documented example of former presidents meeting Trump since he left the White House, and multiple independent outlets reported similar on‑the‑ground details the same day ^[3].

2. What eyewitness and news accounts actually describe

Contemporaneous accounts emphasize physical interactions: handshakes, short conversations and proximate seating during the service. AP described a handshake and an extended chat between Trump and Obama; other reports noted that Trump was seated near Bush and Clinton and exchanged greetings with them as well ^{[1] [6]}. The character of the interactions was described as cordial in moments — reporters recorded brief pleasantries and handshakes — but coverage focuses on the symbolic significance of all five presidents appearing together to honor Carter, rather than suggesting any durable reconciliation among them ^{[7] [3]}.

3. Why some pieces say “no” — emphasis on political distance and rhetoric

Subsequent analyses and opinion pieces published later in 2025 highlight ongoing public denunciations, criticisms and political distance between Trump and his predecessors, and some of those pieces do not mention the funeral meeting. These articles document statements and rebukes by Obama, Clinton and Bush about Trump’s conduct and policies and treat public disagreements as the more relevant lens for evaluating relationships ^{[4] [5]}. Those sources are not asserting that meetings never occurred; they prioritize a narrative of estrangement and public rebuke, which can appear to contradict immediate coverage if readers conflate absence of mention with evidence of absence ^[4].

4. Reconciling the coverage: meeting occurred, but relationships remain strained

Compare the timeline: immediate January 9, 2025 reports record the in‑person meeting at Carter’s funeral ^{[1] [2]}. Later analytical pieces through mid‑2025 catalog criticisms and distance in political rhetoric among former presidents and Trump, sometimes omitting the funeral details because their focus is the political divide rather than occasional, ceremonial interactions ^{[4] [5]}. Both sets of coverage are accurate within scope: the funeral documented physical meetings; subsequent analyses documented sustained public opposition and criticism. The two facts coexist — transient personal interactions at a ceremony and continuing political estrangement afterward.

5. What the different sources emphasize and why that matters for interpretation

News dispatches covering the funeral prioritized observable actions and the symbolic optics of five presidents together, producing straightforward reporting of who met whom ^{[1] [7]}. Analytical pieces prioritize commentary, governance norms and public statements that explain longer‑term relations and hold political actors accountable, leading to less attention on ceremonial encounters ^[4]. Readers should weigh immediate event reporting for questions of “did they meet?” and analytical coverage for questions of “are relationships reconciled?” The funeral provides a clear affirmative answer to the former; later analysis provides context that a handshake did not erase political conflict.

6. Bottom line for the original claim and recommendations for follow‑up

Yes — multiple former U.S. presidents met Donald Trump in January 2025 at Jimmy Carter’s state funeral, documented by contemporaneous reporting ^{[1] [6] [2]}. Subsequent commentary and political analysis in 2025 documented continued public criticisms and distance between Trump and other ex‑presidents, which explains why some later pieces do not foreground the funeral interactions ^{[4] [5]}. If you need a narrow factual citation, use the January 9, 2025 news reports for evidence of the meetings; use later analytical pieces to understand the broader political context and why a meeting did not imply rapprochement ^{[3] [4]}.