George W Bush explains viral breath-mint moment

George W Bush has explained the viral breath-mint moment he shared with Michelle Obama.

The former US president revealed why he offered Michelle Obama a sweet during Senator John McCain's funeral in 2018.

"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, 79, told his daughter, Today show co-host Jenna Bush Hager, during a special interview event hosted by The History Channel on Saturday, 18 April.

He explained he had simply thought Michelle might enjoy a strongly flavoured "Altoids" mint.

"And I was kind of teasing her and stuff, and I slipped her an Altoid," Bush went on. "Not as a joke, but I thought she might want one."

After a news camera caught the unexpected moment on film, online speculation ran rampant as to what may have prompted him to share his candy with the former First Lady.

"I got in the car afterwards, and you said, 'You're trending,'" he added to his daughter. "I didn't know what trending meant."

Bush, a Republican, told Jenna he decided afterwards that the public must have been "starved" of role models demonstrating unity between members of different political parties.

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

"And I intend to continue to try to do that."