Trump visits George H.W. Bush's casket in the Capitol rotunda
After former President George H.W. Bush's casket arrived at the U.S. Capitol on Monday afternoon, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Vice President Mike Pence, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) eulogized him as a humble and gracious public servant. Members of the public, some of whom had been waiting in line for hours, were allowed to enter the Capitol rotunda to pay their respects starting at 7:30 p.m. EST. And at 8:30 p.m., President Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived, spent about a minute in front of the flag-draped casket, then departed.
Trump, who has a rocky relationship with the Bush family, did not offer any public comments, but he saluted the casket before leaving. And in a message to Congress, Trump said Bush's life "exemplified what is truly great about America," adding that the 41st president "worked selflessly throughout his long life to bring about a world of justice and lasting peace." Trump will attend but not speak at Bush's memorial service at Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday.
Supreme Court justices and rank-and-file lawmakers also paid their respects on Monday.
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.
Bush will lie in state in the Capitol until Wednesday. After his Washington memorial service, he will be flown back to Houston for his funeral. Bush, who died Friday, will be buried at Texas A&M University on Thursday.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
5 criminally underrated cartoons about Pete Hegseth’s war crimeCartoon Artists take on USS Hegseth, rats leaving the sinking ship, and more
-
Can Mike Johnson keep his job?Today's Big Question GOP women come after the House leader
-
A postapocalyptic trip to Sin City, a peek inside Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour, and an explicit hockey romance in December TVthe week recommends This month’s new television releases include ‘Fallout,’ ‘Taylor Swift: The End Of An Era’ and ‘Heated Rivalry’
-
Trump tightens restrictions for work visasSpeed Read The length of work permits for asylum seekers and refugees has been shortened from five years to 18 months
-
Supreme Court revives Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read Texas Republicans can use the congressional map they approved in August at President Donald Trump’s behest
-
Boat strike footage rattles some lawmakersSpeed Read ‘Disturbing’ footage of the Sept. 2 attack on an alleged drug-trafficking boat also shows the second strike that killed two survivors who were clinging to the wreckage
-
Trump boosts gas cars in fuel economy rollbackspeed read Watering down fuel efficiency standards is another blow to former President Biden’s effort to boost electric vehicles
-
Hegseth’s Signal chat put troops in peril, probe findsSpeed Read The defense secretary risked the lives of military personnel and violated Pentagon rules, says new report
-
Trump pardons Texas Democratic congressmanspeed read Rep. Henry Cuellar was charged with accepting foreign bribes tied to Azerbaijan and Mexico
-
GOP wins tight House race in red Tennessee districtSpeed Read Republicans maintained their advantage in the House
-
Trump targets ‘garbage’ Somalis ahead of ICE raidsSpeed Read The Department of Homeland Security will launch an immigration operation targeting Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area
