Trump says Barbara Bush was 'nasty to me, but she should be'
Not wanting to let a deceased former first lady have the final word, President Trump responded on Thursday to things Barbara Bush said about him in a new biography.
"I have heard that she was nasty to me, but she should be," Trump told The Washington Times. "Look what I did to her sons." Before Bush died last year at age 92, she spoke extensively with journalist Susan Page, and even shared her diaries. Page's new book, The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty, includes Bush's thoughts on Trump, including her feelings on his treatment of her son, Jeb Bush, who ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.
Page wrote that in June 2016, Bush had a health "crisis" connected to her congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She told Page "the tumultuous presidential campaign in general and Trump's ridicule of son Jeb Bush in particular had riled her up." Trump insulted Jeb Bush numerous times, calling him "low-energy" and mocking him after his mother appeared in a campaign ad, saying Jeb "desperately needed his mommy to help him."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The book also reveals that in the 1990s, Bush wrote in her diary that Trump's name was synonymous with "greed, selfishness, and ugly," and after the election, a friend gave her a countdown clock to the final day of Trump's term, which she kept by her bedside. Her disdain for Trump wasn't a secret made public by the book — prior to her death, Bush told CBS News she had no idea how any woman could vote for Trump.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
'It may not be surprising that creative work is used without permission'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
5 simple items to help make your airplane seat more comfortable
The Week Recommends Gel cushions and inflatable travel pillows make a world of difference
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Wyoming judge strikes down abortion, pill bans
Speed Read The judge said the laws — one of which was a first-in-the-nation prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy — violated the state's constitution
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sanctions Israeli West Bank settler group
Speed Read The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Amana, Israel's largest settlement development organization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz ethics report in limbo as sex allegations emerge
Speed Read A lawyer representing two women alleges that Matt Gaetz paid them for sex, and one witnessed him having sex with minor
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden allows Ukraine to hit deep in Russia
Speed Read The U.S. gave Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS missiles supplied by Washington, a decision influenced by Russia's escalation of the war with North Korean troops
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sri Lanka's new Marxist leader wins huge majority
Speed Read The left-leaning coalition of newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won 159 of the legislature's 225 seats
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden arrives in Peru for final summits
Speed Read President Joe Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, visit the Amazon rainforest and attend two major international summits
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Senate GOP selects Thune, House GOP keeps Johnson
Speed Read John Thune will replace Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader, and Mike Johnson will remain House speaker in Congress
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump tests GOP loyalty with Gaetz, Gabbard picks
Speed Read He named Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Both have little experience in their proposed jurisdictions.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published