Former President George Bush has decided not to formally endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, his office informed multiple outlets on Saturday. According to NBC News, neither Bush nor his wife, Laura Bush, will publicly reveal their vote choice. His office added that Bush had retired from presidential politics years ago.
Bush’s choice to withhold an endorsement follows the announcement by his former vice president, Dick Cheney, who confirmed he would be voting for Vice President Harris. Cheney’s daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), disclosed her father’s decision earlier at the Texas Tribune Festival on Friday.
Harris expressed gratitude for Cheney’s support, stating she felt honored. She added that Cheney’s public statement was courageous and highlighted a shared love for the country, emphasizing commonalities over differences.
In response, former President Trump criticized Cheney, labeling him and his daughter as “irrelevant RINOs” (Republicans in name only) and referring to Cheney’s daughter’s recent electoral loss as the largest in Congressional history.
Liz Cheney, a staunch Trump critic, announced earlier in the week that she would also be voting for Harris. She explained that, as a conservative who values the Constitution, she is choosing Harris due to the threat posed by Trump.
Republicans distancing from Trump including George Bush
In past elections, Bush supported Mitt Romney in 2012 and endorsed the late Senator John McCain in 2008. In 2016, both teams of the former Bush presidents stated that the father and son would refrain from commenting on Trump. Instead, the younger Bush concentrated on supporting Republican senators. According to a spokesperson that year, neither Bush nor his wife voted for either major party presidential nominee in 2016.
The elder Bush president passed away in 2018, but the younger Bush revealed in 2021 that he had written in former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for president in 2020.
Read More: Georgia Shooting: Why Do School Shootings Keep Happening In United States?
Despite policy differences, several prominent moderate Republicans and former Trump administration officials have distanced themselves from the former president and supported Harris.
Last month, the Harris campaign announced over two dozen Republican endorsements, including former Republican Governor Bill Weld of Massachusetts, former Representative Denver Riggleman of Virginia, and former Trump administration press secretary Stephanie Grisham.
Later in August, a letter endorsing Harris for president was signed by over 200 former staffers for both Bush presidents, McCain, and Romney.
To reach GOP voters, the Harris campaign hired a national Republican engagement director to focus on independent and moderate Republican voters, as well as launched a Republicans for Harris program.
Will George Bush go public about his decision?
Although Bush remains engaged in politics, including the rise of his successor and critic Donald Trump, he prefers not to discuss it publicly. In private speeches, the retired 43rd president has humorously remarked that both Trump is too old for the demands of the office. According to reports, Bush has commented that he is younger than both candidates (the second one being Biden, who dropped off from the race) and yet considers himself too old.
Bush, who turned 78 earlier this year, is unlikely to voice such opinions publicly, even about Trump, the businessman who partly built his political career by criticizing the Bush legacy. Despite calls for Bush to speak out against Trump and the Republican Party he has reshaped, friends and associates state that Bush is adhering to his commitment not to criticize other presidents and political leaders.
Bush has made rare exceptions to his public comment policy, including a recent statement with former First Lady Laura Bush following an assassination attempt against Trump. Bush expressed gratitude that Trump was safe and praised the Secret Service for their swift response.
George Bush now an author!
Since leaving office on January 20, 2009, Bush has established himself as a book author, head of a Dallas-based institute, and even a portrait painter, but not as a political commentator. Margaret Spellings, a long-time friend and former Education Secretary during Bush’s presidency, noted that Bush is interested and informed but has moved on from political life.
Privately, Bush stays updated on current events, gives speeches, and paints. Over the past fifteen years, he has hosted numerous fundraisers for Republican candidates in private settings.
Publicly, Bush has largely distanced himself from political life, despite his family’s political legacy. He has occasionally clashed with Trump, notably in February 2016, when he supported his brother Jeb Bush in the primary against Trump, implicitly contrasting his brother’s qualifications with Trump’s rhetoric. This pattern continued after Trump’s presidency, with Bush criticizing Trump’s divisive style without naming him directly, sometimes receiving backlash from Trump.
Bush’s reaction to Trump’s inaugural address, where Trump spoke of American “carnage,” was reportedly that it was “some weird s—.” During a 2021 ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Bush remarked on the political landscape’s shift toward anger, fear, and resentment.
George Bush should not lecture me: Trump
Trump, who has frequently criticized Bush over the Iraq invasion, has stated that Bush should not lecture him and pointed out that the World Trade Center fell during Bush’s presidency. Despite leaving office with low approval ratings, which sometimes fell below 40% due to the Iraq war and the 2008 financial crisis, Bush’s ratings have since risen above 60%.
Following the January 6, 2021, insurrection attempt by Trump loyalists, Bush and Laura Bush described the event as “sickening and heartbreaking.” Although Bush did not name Trump, he remarked that the incident resembled how election results are disputed in a banana republic, not in a democratic republic.
Describing Bush’s approach, analysts noted that while Bush does not attack, he is adept at subtly expressing his disapproval.
Also Read: Bolivia: Why Has the South American Country Declared National Emergency?
