Former President Bill Clinton has defended his successor George W. Bush for not backing him in the presidential election despite attempting to back Kamala Harris.
Clinton, 78, said Bush is a “proud Republican” and that he does not want to “give up” on the party to which he has devoted his life by choosing a side.
Bush’s daughter Barbara, who campaigned for Harris, led to calls for the former president to break his silence and disown Donald Trump.
But Bush, also 78, has chosen to stay on the sidelines when it comes to having his say.
He last endorsed John McCain in 2008 and has since avoided campaigning in his post-presidency.
In Texas, he has expressed support for local Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, who is running for Senate against Sen. Ted Cruz.
Clinton said Bush called Allred a “good guy” and congratulated him when he was first elected to Congress.
Former President Bill Clinton has defended his successor George W. Bush for not backing him in the presidential election despite attempting to back Kamala Harris
But that happened behind the scenes, and Bush has since been much more tempered with public expressions of support.
“First of all, he’s spoken out, I think, more than he’s given credit for, and he’s taken every opportunity I’ve seen to talk about how important immigration is and how we can’t survive without it,” Clinton said. CNN from Bush on Sunday.
“He also knows that, starting with our relationship, it’s very different when you’re out of political life, when there’s no competition, no consequences,” Clinton added.
“And I think he believes that since he was a proud Republican all these years, it’s enough for him to make clear what he believes through all of this without giving up the party he’s been with all his life. ‘
Clinton, 78, said Bush is a “proud Republican” and that he does not want to “give up” on the party he has devoted his life to by choosing a side
Bush looks on prior to Game One of the World Series between the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Globe Life Field on October 27, 2023 in Arlington, Texas
Liz Cheney, daughter of Bush’s former Vice President Dick Cheney, had already thrown her support behind Harris – alongside her father
In September this year, a Bush spokesman told DailyMail.com that he had no plans to make any public endorsement.
“He retired from presidential politics many years ago,” they said, adding that neither Bush nor his wife Laura would reveal who they are voting for in November.
Former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, an ally of Harris, urged Bush last week to get off the fence.
His former communications director Nicolle Wallace also told the story WSNBC she hopes Bush will “change his mind” and take a stand against Trump.
She said: ‘We have a right to hope that those who stood for freedom and celebrated those who protected it may change their minds at the last minute in the closing hours of this campaign.’
Although Bush remained a mother, his daughter Barbara told People: “It was inspiring to gather with friends and voters with the Harris campaign in Pennsylvania this weekend.
“I am hopeful that they will move our country forward and protect women’s rights.”
It was a quiet gesture, but it nonetheless made her the last person identifying with the pre-Trump Republican Party to express her support for the Democratic nominee.
The activist is no stranger to campaigning, although she does not profile herself in public.
She spoke at the 2004 Republican National Convention and campaigned for her father’s re-election in swing states.
Her twin sister Jenna previously spoke about the personal toll politics takes when Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election.
“We’ve become a country so divided over politics that sometimes it’s hard to think, ‘Oh my God, he’s human,'” Jenna told the Today show.
“I just hope that as a country we can get back to a place where it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s a human being and this must have been a very difficult decision,’ and a decision that his family probably helped with, but where he is also sad about it. about it and that is understandable’
It was a quiet gesture, but nevertheless made her the last person identifying with the pre-Trump Republican Party to express her support for the Democratic nominee.
Both Cheneys are former Republican leaders in the House of Representatives, with the elder Cheney serving two terms as George W. Bush’s Republican vice president from 2001 to 2009.
The former president is seen here next to his wife Laura and daughters Jenna and Barbara
The registered Republican called his decision “admirable” and said Biden “had to make a difficult decision because many one-term presidents don’t feel like the job is done.”
During his successful 2016 campaign, Trump continually mocked George Bush’s younger brother, Jeb, his sister’s uncle.
He has called their father’s two terms in office “a failed and uninspiring presidency,” while in fact he took over the party over which the Bush dynasty held sway for years.
Trump has also attacked Dick Cheney, while labeling his daughter Liz Cheney – who is campaigning for Harris – as a “warmonger.”
“Her father was responsible for the invasion of the Middle East that killed millions of Arabs – millions – and this is who Kamala is campaigning on,” Trump said.
Speaking at an event with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Thursday evening, Trump sparked outrage after labeling Liz Cheney a “stupid war hawk.”
He said: ‘She’s a radical war hawk. Let’s put her there with a gun, while nine barrels are shooting at her, okay, let’s see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are pointed at her face.”
“She’s a radical war hawk,” Trump began before speculating about a possible firing squad
Democrats immediately criticized him for the comment, but Harris went a step further and said Trump should no longer be in the presidential race.
She told reporters: “Anyone who wants to be president of the United States and uses that kind of violent rhetoric is clearly disqualified and not qualified to be president.”
Harris called Cheney “a true patriot who has shown extraordinary courage in putting country before party.”
‘However, Trump views his political opponents as the enemy, is permanently out for revenge and is becoming increasingly unstable and unhinged. His enemies list has grown longer.”
“His rhetoric has become more extreme and he is even less focused than before on the needs, concerns and challenges facing the American people,” Harris added.
The Democratic nominees said she has not spoken to Cheney since Trump’s comment.
Trump has long railed against Cheney, who criticized him for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection and was one of two Republican lawmakers who served on the House committee that investigated the case.
In March, Trump called for Cheney to be jailed for her role in the investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Cheney should go to prison “along with the rest” of the January 6 House Select Committee.