Dubya declares war on Trump
Ex-President breaks protocol to demand answers on Russia links and defend freedom of the press
GEORGE W Bush made a scathing attack on Donald Trump yesterday, saying ‘we all need answers’ on his relationship with Russia.
In a rare intervention by a former president, Mr Bush said that he would support an inquiry into his fellow Republican’s dealings with the Kremlin.
Mr Bush, who was in office during 9/11, said ‘power can be addictive and corrosive’ and that a free press was ‘indispensable to democracy’.
The attack came as Mr Trump unveiled plans to increase US military spending by 9 per cent as part of the biggest build-up of the armed forces since the Reagan administration.
He wants to spend £43billion more on the army, navy and air force which will be funded by huge cuts to other departments such as foreign aid.
Tonight he is due to address Congress in his first foray into legislation with tax reform and scrapping Mr Obama’s Affordable Healthcare Act.
In an interview, Mr Bush said that Mr Trump was wrong on immigration, terrorism and his travel ban on seven mostly Muslim nations.
Mr Bush said that he supported an immigration policy that was ‘welcoming and upholds the law’ and said that people should not be prosecuted because of their religion.
During Mr Obama’s eight years in power Mr Bush rarely criticised him out of respect for the office of the presidency, and even then it was behind closed doors. But the Bush family were deeply offended at how Mr Trump mocked Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, during his run for the White House in last year’s election.
On NBC’s Today show, Mr Bush said: ‘I considered the media to be indispensable to democracy. I think that we need an independent media to hold people like me to account.
‘Power can be very addictive, and it can be corrosive. It’s important for the media to call to account people who abuse their power, whether it be here or elsewhere.’
Mr Bush said that in office he frequently told Vladimir Putin to accept a free press. He added: ‘It’s kind of hard to tell others to have an independent press when we’re not willing to have one ourselves.’
On the question of Mr Trump’s ties to Russia, Mr Bush said he would support whatever Richard Burr, the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, decided.
He said: ‘First of all, I think we all need answers. Whether or not a special prosecutor is the right way to go, you’re talking to the wrong guy ... I am sure though that question needs to be answered.’
Mr Bush laughed when asked about Mr Trump’s description of the US as ‘American carnage’ in his apocalyptic inauguration speech, saying it was not the America he recognised.
In Mr Trump’s budget, to be unveiled in full next month, there will be increases in spending for law enforcement and the military even though US already spends more on defence than any other country at roughly £481billion annually.
According to officials, there will be significant cuts to departments such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the State Department.
Mr Trump has said he does not want to cut Medicaid and Medicare, the state-funded welfare programmes, yet some benefits are likely to be axed. He
Significant cuts to foreign aid
said he wanted to put ‘America first’ again by focusing on defence and law enforcement – and not sending money abroad.
An official said that the rest of the world will have to ‘step up’ to make up the cuts in foreign aid, which accounts for less than 1 per cent of US government spending.
Mr Trump claimed his administration had already achieved nearly everything it wanted to at a White House gala.
He told the annual Governor’s Dinner: ‘I can say that after four weeks – it’s been a lot of fun – but we’ve accomplished almost everything we’ve started out to accomplish. The borders are stricter, tighter.’
His wife Melania gave a speech about spring renewal, telling guests: ‘The scents of jasmine and roses fill the air as we give thanks for this great nation and the glory of renewal.’