President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trumpplan to
attendGeorge H.W. Bush‘s funeral — and according to a presidential historian
who knew Bush, the former president included Trump in order to not “stiff a
sitting president.”
Douglas Brinkley, a Rice University history professor and
author, tells PEOPLE that Bush’s decision was motivated by his reverence for
the office that he once held.
“For Bush 41, Trump is the president, and he does not want
to stiff a sitting president, so in his own way, it is magnanimous that he is
having Melania and Donald Trump come,” Brinkley says of Bush, who died at age
94 on Friday.
Brinkley believes that Bush’s wishes may affect Trump, 72,
personally. “In its own way, it may normalize the estrangement Trump feels from
the so-called establishment that Bush personified,” he adds.
Brinkley suggested that Bush had mixed feelings about the
Trump era. “I think that [Bush] had such respect for the institution of the
presidency that Trump annoyed him because he was trying to divide the country
at times,” Brinkley tells PEOPLE.
“Nevertheless, when it came to being a stalwart Republican,
he was for Judge [Brett] Kavanaugh‘s confirmation. He wanted to see Republican
friends of his get posts in government,” Brinkley comments.
Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court in October was
controversial after he was accused by multiple women of sexual assault. He
denied the allegations.
Bush’s son, former President George W. Bush, showed support
for Kavanaugh — who worked for his administration — in the wake of the scandal,
telling Politico in September that he and wife Laura Bush “have known and
respected Brett Kavanaugh for decades, and we stand by our comments the night
Judge Kavanaugh was nominated.”
George H.W. Bush’s faithful service dog, Sully, is still by
his pal’s side, even after the former president died at age 94 on Friday.
“He is a fine husband, father, and friend — and a man of the
highest integrity. He will make a superb Justice of the Supreme Court of the
United States,” George W. Bush previously said.
Brinkley mentioned Barbara Bush‘s funeral, which Mrs. Trump
attended but Trump did not. The former first lady died at age 92 in April.
“But the cruder aspects of Donald Trump — the mean Twitters
and the name calling — [Bush] found that gauche, and that is why Barbara Bush
did not want Donald Trump at her funeral,” he says.
The White House said in a statement in April that Trump was
skipping Mrs. Bush’s funeral “to avoid disruptions due to added security, and
out of respect for the Bush family and friends attending the service,” the
Associated Press reported at the time.
Bush’s state funeral will be held at the National Cathedral
in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET. In a presidential
proclamation, Trump declared that Wednesday would be dedicated to Bush’s memory
and that flags should be lowered to half-staff in his honor for 30 days.
“President George H.W. Bush led a long, successful and
beautiful life,” Trump tweeted. “Whenever I was with him I saw his absolute joy
for life and true pride in his family. His accomplishments were great from
beginning to end. He was a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all!”
In a statement, the Trumps wrote about Bush’s legacy,
including Bush’s signature phrase about volunteerism, “a thousand points of light,”
that Trump had ridiculed at a rally in July.
“Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and
unwavering commitment to faith, family, and country, President Bush inspired
generations of his fellow Americans to public service — to be, in his words, ‘a
thousand points of light’ illuminating the greatness, hope, and opportunity of
America to the world,” the statement read.
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