Former president George W. Bush finally explained the fleeting moment that captured national attention during John McCain’s funeral when he appeared to slip something into Michelle Obama’s hand.

Speaking in a sit-down with his own daughter, NBC’s TODAY co-host Jenna Bush Hager, for a “History Talks” event in Philadelphia to mark the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary, the former president said the viral exchange in September 2018 was far less calculated than it appeared.

“I get a little antsy, as I’m sure you know, and I was sitting next to Michelle. That’s who I sit next to at funerals,” Bush said. “And I was kind of teasing her and stuff, and I slipped her an Altoid. Not as a joke, but I thought she might want one.”

The moment, caught on camera during the service, quickly spread online, becoming an unlikely symbol of cross-party warmth in a divided political climate, although Bush admitted he had little awareness of the reaction at the time.

“I got in the car afterwards, and you said, ‘You’re trending,’” he recalled to his daughter. “I didn’t know what trending meant.”

“It turns out, the country is starved to see a white, center-right Republican and an African American center-left Democrat having fun and being able to converse, not as political figures but as citizens,” he said.

Bush later repeated the gesture in December 2018, months later, offering the former First Lady a mint, again, this time at his own father’s funeral.

The story came as Hager was speaking to each of the four living former presidents — Joe Biden, Barack Obama, her father and Bill Clinton — each of which was asked to share a message to the nation ahead of the 250th anniversary in July.

Watch above via NBC.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!