The fact that the Bush family, one of the most respected families in the Republican Party, does not like Donald Trump is no secret. Not only were the Bushes vocal about the fact that they would not be voting for Trump in the 2016 election two years ago, but Jeb Bush is currently begging his fellow Republicans to find a GOP challenger for Trump. And now, a memoir on Barbara Bush reveals just how much the former first lady was appalled by Trump coming to be the party’s leader.
The upcoming book, The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty, has released a few excerpts and it reveals Bush’s true feelings about Trump. Based on several months of interviews with Bush and a review of the former first lady’s diary, it’s clear that Bush knew The Donald would ruin the country the second he got the chance. The author, USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page, even reported that Bush had blamed Trump for a heart emergency she suffered back in June 2016! Of the incident, Page wrote:
The tumultuous presidential campaign in general and Trump’s ridicule of son Jeb Bush, in particular, had riled her.”
Bush had described the feeling to a reporter as “angst.”
Bush also stated that although her husband, former President George Bush, had voted against Trump and supported Hillary Clinton in 2016, she herself did not vote for either candidate. She wrote in her son Jeb’s name, fairly confident that Clinton would win. She even wrote a comical letter to Bill Clinton, welcoming him into the “First Ladies Club.” Unfortunately, she never got the chance to send it. Barbara said:
I woke up and discovered, to my horror, that Trump had won.”
Trump’s presidency disgusted Bush so much that when Page asked Bush if she still considered herself a Republican, she said:
I’d probably say no today.”
That is a major statement for someone whose family yielded two Republican presidents. Apparently, Bush was very vocal about her disdain for Trump. Page wrote that one friend “gave her a Trump countdown clock as a joke.”
The red, white, and blue digital clock displayed how many days, hours, minutes and seconds remained in Trump’s term.”
This is going to be devastating for the GOP, as they must come to terms with the fact that Trump has ruined and divided their party, possibly beyond repair.
Featured image via screen capture
