Former President George W. Bush praises Jeb Bush while on the campaign trail

(Image credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 16 February 2016

Jeb Bush and his brother, former President George W. Bush, campaigned together Monday in North Charleston, South Carolina, an area described by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) as "Bush country."

George W. Bush was on the campaign trail for the first time since leaving office, and said his younger brother has a "quiet conviction" and "sees a better tomorrow" for the United States. "The presidency is a serious job that requires sound judgment and good ideas, and there's no doubt in my mind that Jeb Bush has the experience and character to be a great president," he added. Bush didn't name any of the other Republican presidential candidates, but was clearly making a veiled reference to Donald Trump when he announced: "Strength is not bluster, it is not theatrics. Real strength, strength of purpose, comes from integrity and character, and in my experience the strongest person usually isn't the loudest one in the room."

After his brother's kind words, Jeb Bush outlined his ideas for defeating the Islamic State and beefing up the military. Americans are "extraordinary and exceptional," he said, and tired of politicians that believe "the end is near." The country has to "fix a few really big, complex things," he added, and then "we'll take off as a nation, and will be safe and secure and have rising income." Bush said he believes  "life is a gift from God" and everyone is "here for a purpose," and if we "reach our God-given abilities, nothing will stop the United States of America."

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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.

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