Sorry, I didn’t realize you were originally from another country. Where? (just curious, none of my business really).
I currently live on a British base and work on a NATO base. Everyday I learn new idioms, cultural traits, and to appreciate context. Listening to Czechs and Poles who learned English from Brits can lead to some very funny situations. Many times, I can understand the Czechs and Poles more easily than some from English speaking countries.
I’m from Canada and we’ve always referred to our former politicians as former___, like Former Prime Minister Trudeau.
It’s possibly also why I didn’t how Americans phrased it, because when an American ex-politician’s name was mentioned, it was always termed in Canadian usage.