In the cavernous sanctuary of the National Cathedral on Wednesday, President Trump will come face-to-face for the first time with his four living predecessors, an encounter occasioned only by a loss to the most exclusive club in American politics -- indeed, in the world.
Trump's election, which came after he demeaned and humiliated the family members of three ex-presidents and made racist insinuations about his predecessor, has shaken the traditional fraternity of past and current commanders in chief.
He has, until now, avoided any encounters with the collected group, and hasn't spoken at all with three of them. He has neither consulted them on issues nor avoided overt criticism of their presidencies, breaking tradition on matters large and small.
For the time he is inside the Cathedral on Wednesday morning, those hurtful slights are likely to remain unmentioned. But few believe the death of President George H.W. Bush will lead to new camaraderie between Trump and the men who served before him.
The presidents club, by nature, is complicated by past rivalries and future legacies. Yet regardless of party, the members -- so far, all men -- are bound by their singular experience of serving in the Oval Office.
It's impossible to know, at this stage of his presidency, what Trump's ultimate role in the club will be. But he enters the group carrying a long record of dismissive, vitriolic criticism extending well beyond partisan politics.
Keep reading CNN's Kevin Liptak and Jeff Zeleny on this most exclusive club of competitors