Bush 41 calls Trump a ‘blowhard’; White House strikes back
US - The White House has struck back at both Bush presidents Saturday after the two made stinging comments about President Donald Trump in a new book about the father and son. “If one presidential candidate can disassemble a political party, it speaks volumes about how strong a legacy its past two presidents really had,” a White House official told CNN. “And that begins with the Iraq war, one of the greatest foreign policy mistakes in American history.” “President Trump remains focused on keeping his promises to the American people by bringing back jobs, promoting an ‘America First’ foreign policy and standing up for the forgotten men and women of our great county,” the official said. Former President George H.W. Bush delivered a blunt assessment of Trump in historian Mark Updegrove’s new book, titled ‘The Last Republicans’, saying: “He’s a blowhard.” And former President George W. Bush also had harsh words for his Republican successor: “This guy doesn’t know what it means to be president.” En route to Tokyo on Saturday, Trump was more restrained when asked for reaction to the Bushes’ comments. “I’ll comment after we come back. I don’t need headlines. I don’t want to make their move successful,” he said. This is the first time the former presidents are speaking out about Trump in such stark terms. Both men went on the record to give Updegrove their candid assessment of Trump, as well as rare insight into their thoughts on the 2016 presidential race as the drama unfolded.
The most critical comments about Trump came from the elder Bush, now 93, who told Updegrove in May 2016: “I don’t like him. I don’t know much about him, but I know he’s a blowhard. And I’m not too excited about him being a leader.” The author went on to ask George H.W. Bush what he thought Trump was seeking in running for president, and the former Navy war hero responded by saying that Trump had ‘a certain ego.’ Though George H.W. Bush told the author he thought Trump could unite the country, he said it would require ‘humility’, which the former President told Updegrove was a challenge for Trump. In commenting about the Bushes’ remarks, Updegrove told CNN’s Jamie Gangel: “If you look at the Bush family, it makes perfect sense. Donald Trump is everything that the Bush family is not.”
“George Bush grew up thinking about the greater good. Donald Trump is manifestly narcissistic. It’s part of his brand. And that brand is the antithesis of the Bush brand,” Updegrove added. George W. Bush echoed his father’s sentiments when he told Updegrove: “As you know from looking at my family, (humility) is a certain heritage. That’s what they expect, and we’re not seeing that (in Trump).” Updegrove told CNN: “When Donald Trump said: “I am my own adviser,”Bush thought -- and this is a quote – “Wow, this guy doesn’t know what it means to be president.” (CNN.COM )