George W. Bush Opens Up About Michelle Obama Friendship, and That Altoid

George W. Bush is freshening up the story on that viral moment with Michelle Obama … and it’s just as wholesome as it looked.

Watch the clip … the former POTUS sat down with his daughter, Jenna Bush Hager, for a "TODAY" exclusive tied to a History Channel event ahead of America's 250th birthday ... and the convo quickly turned to the Altoid heard 'round the internet.

Rewinding to 2018, during the funeral for John McCain, Bush casually slipped a piece of candy to Michelle Obama … a blink-and-you-miss-it moment that somehow stole the spotlight during an otherwise somber day.

Now, Bush is breaking it down … saying he gets “antsy” at those formal events and, since he says he sits next to Michelle at funerals, he ends up cracking jokes to pass the time. The mint exchange was not some grand punchline ... just a low-key gesture. He figured she might want an Altoid. Simple as that.

But what happened next caught him completely off guard.

Bush says he hopped in the car afterward and was told he was “trending” ... a concept he admits he didn’t even understand at the time. Turns out ... the internet couldn’t get enough of the unexpected buddy moment between a Republican ex-president and a Democratic former First Lady.

In his words, the country’s basically “starved” to see people from opposite sides of the aisle actually get along ... not as political enemies, but as regular humans sharing a quiet, lighthearted moment.