Bush becomes final ex-president to publicly congratulate Biden, praises Trump for 'hard fought campaign'

(Image credit: Alyssa Pointer-Pool/Getty Images)

published 8 November 2020

George W. Bush became the final living president, other than the incumbent, to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their election victory, joining former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter.

Although he's the only Republican out of the group, Bush still offered warm words for Biden — whom he said he knows "to be a good man" despite their political differences — in a statement issued Sunday.

Bush also congratulated President Trump and his supporters "on a hard-fought campaign," noting that "their voices will continue to be heard through elected Republicans at every level of government." He added that Trump has the right to pursue recounts and legal challenges, but "the American people can have confidence that this election was fundamentally fair, its integrity will be upheld, and its outcome is clear." Tim O'Donnell

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.