Why won’t George W. Bush talk publicly about Trump? It’s simple.

On Jul 18, 2024

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MILWAUKEE – Many Republican convention delegates like to salute the heritage of their party, but few of them these days talk about the next-to-last GOP president, George W. Bush.

And that suits Bush just fine.

For while Bush still keeps up with politics – including the resurgence of Republican successor and fervent critic Donald Trump – he doesn’t like to talk about it publicly.

In paid private speeches, the long-retired 43rd president has been known to joke that both Trump and President Joe Biden are too old for the demands of the office.

“I’m younger than both of the candidates, and I’m too old,” Bush has said in at least one speech, according to a witness who requested anonymity.

Just don’t expect Bush, who turned 78 earlier this month, to say this kind of thing out loud – not even about Trump, the volatile businessman who built his political career in part by trashing the legacy of the Bush dynasty

While people often call on Bush to speak out against Trump and the Republican Party he has remade in his own image, friends and associates said he is standing by his pledge not to critique other presidents and political leaders.

“The job of the president is very hard to begin with,” Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary for Bush, told USA TODAY. “He doesn’t want to make it harder for anyone, friend or foe.”

“It’s very old school,” Fleischer added. “It’s very gracious. It’s very Bush.”

It also has public benefits for the former president – his approval ratings have more than doubled since he left office more than 15 years ago.

Bush has made the rare exceptions on his public comment policy, most recently a statement with former First Lady Laura Bush after last Saturday’s assassination attempt against Trump.

“Laura and I are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life,” Bush said. “And we commend the men and women of the Secret Service for their speedy response.”

‘He’s turned the page’

Since leaving office on Jan. 20, 2009, Bush has made his mark as a book author, the head of an institute based in Dallas, and even as a portrait painter – but not a political pundit.

“He’s turned the page,” said Margaret Spellings, a long-time friend who served as Education Secretary during the Bush administration. “He’s interested and he’s connected and he’s informed – but he’s moved on.”

And vice-versa.

When Republican conventioneers gather in Milwaukee next week to nominate Trump for a third time, the name of George W. Bush may never be heard.

Privately, Bush still follows current events. He gives speeches. He paints. Over the past decade-and-a-half, Bush has hosted dozens of fundraisers for favored Republican candidates, all behind closed doors.

Publicly: not much. Instead, Bush has pursued a unique path for an ex-president, all but walking away from political life. This from the grandson of a U.S. senator and the son of a president, the scion of an historic political family.

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