Former first lady Michelle Obama said that her oft-admired friendship with former President George W. Bush serves as a reminder of how relationships should be during a time when America only sees all the "nasty parts" of political discourse.

In an interview released Wednesday on NBC, Obama told Bush's daughter, Jenna Bush Hager, who is also a correspondent on "Today," that her relationship with Bush "reminds us that we can get there with the right leadership and with the right tone setting and with each of us giving one another the benefit of the doubt."

"I'd love if we as a country could get back to the place where we didn't demonize people who disagreed with us," she added. Bringing up a famous photo of the former president and Obama sharing a hug in 2016, Bush Hager asked Obama about her friendship with Bush

“Because I think the political discourse, the way it’s shown in the media, is…all the nasty parts of it. You know? Because I guess we’ve become a culture where the nasty sells. So people are just gonna keep feeding that. We’re all Americans. We all care about our family and our kids, and we’re trying’ to get ahead. And that’s how I feel about your father. You know? He’s a beautiful, funny, kind, sweet man.”

https://time.com/5454153/michelle-obama-on-george-w-bush/