PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Former President George W. Bush is not expected to attend a White House ceremony honoring the late Barbara Bush with a U.S. Postal Service stamp.
👥 Who’s Involved: George W. Bush, Melania Trump, Dorothy Bush Koch, Alice Yates.
📍 Where & When: The White House’s East Room, Thursday.
💬 Key Quote: George W. Bush previously remarked that politics has become “a naked appeal to anger, fear, and resentment.”
⚠️ Impact: The decision underscores ongoing tensions between Bush and President Donald J. Trump.
IN FULL:
Former President George W. Bush is reportedly not attending a White House event hosted by First Lady Melania Trump to honor his late mother, Barbara Bush, with a commemorative U.S. Postal Service stamp. The event is set to take place in the East Room on Thursday, with Dorothy Bush Koch, George W. Bush’s sister, and Alice Yates, CEO of the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, among the featured speakers.
Despite attending both of President Donald J. Trump’s inaugurations, George W. Bush refrained from endorsing him in any of his presidential campaigns. This absence from the ceremony further highlights the strained relationship between Bush and Trump.
In a 2021 event marking 20 years since the 9/11 attacks, Bush expressed concerns over the current state of politics, stating it had become “a naked appeal to anger, fear, and resentment.” Trump interpreted these remarks as directed towards him, responding by criticizing Bush’s presidency as “failed and uninspiring.”
The tension between Trump and the Bush family extends back to Barbara Bush herself, who was critical of Trump. In the book The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of a Dynasty, she described Trump as “a symbol of greed.” Before her passing in 2018, Barbara Bush reportedly distanced herself from the Republican Party, despite being a prominent figure within it.
Trump’s past comments also reflect this contentious relationship. In 2019, he remarked on Barbara Bush’s criticism, linking it to his rivalry with her son, Jeb Bush. “Look what I did to her sons,” Trump said, referencing his political battles with the former Florida Governor.
A critic of the pro-war foreign policy of the Bush era, President Trump has previously vowed the GOP is “never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove, and Jeb Bush,” now the America First era of conservatism has been ushered in.