In 2009, George W. Bush, just before he lifted off on Marine One from the White House, said that he wouldn’t play politics any more.
Well, forget that.
“Former President George W. Bush won’t support the reelection of Trump, and Jeb Bush isn’t sure how he’ll vote, say people familiar with their thinking,” The New York Times reported on Saturday. “Senator Mitt Romney of Utah won’t back Trump and is deliberating whether to again write in his wife, Ann, or cast another ballot this November. And Cindy McCain, the widow of Senator John McCain, is almost certain to support Biden but is unsure how public to be about it because one of her sons is eyeing a run for office.”
“This fall, it’s time for new leadership in this country — Republican, Democrat, or independent,” said William H. McRaven, the retired Navy admiral who directed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. “President Trump has shown he doesn’t have the qualities necessary to be a good commander in chief.”
McRaven, making his first public comments opposing Trump’s election in an interview on the 76th anniversary of D-Day, noted that those wartime leaders inspired Americans with “their words, their actions, and their humanity.”
In contrast, he said, Trump has failed his leadership test. “As we have struggled with the COVID pandemic and horrible acts of racism and injustice, this president has shown none of those qualities,” McRaven said. “The country needs to move forward without him at the helm.”
Bush has quietly – and often – attacked Trump since he took office. In October 2017, Bush delivered a scathing assessment of Trump and his policies, saying the president has promoted bigotry and uttered falsehoods that are hurting the country.
“We have seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty,” Bush said, never naming Trump. “We’ve seen nationalism distorted into nativism. Forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America.”
“Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children,” Bush said. “The only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them.”
Trump has slapped back at Bush.
“Oh, by the way, I appreciate the message from former President Bush, but where was he during impeachment calling for putting partisanship aside.” Trump wrote on Twitter in May. “He was nowhere to be found in speaking up against the greatest Hoax in American history!”
“Let us remember how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat,” Bush said. “In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants. We are human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God. We rise or fall together.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.