Bush & Romney Stab Trump in the Back, Won't Support Reelection
Prominent Republicans turn against the president ahead of election
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Prominent Republicans Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and former President George W. Bush and are reportedly not going to support the reelection of President Trump in November.
Bush won’t support the president’s reelection, and former Trump 2016 rival Jeb Bush has yet to decide how he will vote, the New York Times, citing “people familiar with their thinking,” reported.
Romney, meanwhile, has declared that he will not vote for Trump, and is considering once again writing in his wife, Ann, or casting another ballot, according to the Times.
Trump has regularly feuded with Romney and been a vocal critic of both Bush and Romney for years.
Earlier this year, Trump criticized Bush for being "nowhere to be found" during his impeachment trial, although he had himself backed calls for Bush’s impeachment.
Meanwhile, Romney has criticized Trump on a number of occasions in recent years and was the only Republican senator who voted to impeach Trump on one of the two articles of impeachment -- abuse of power.
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The New York Times reports:
Former President George W. Bush won’t support the re-election of Mr. Trump, and Jeb Bush isn’t sure how he’ll vote, say people familiar with their thinking.
Senator Mitt Romney of Utah won’t back Mr. Trump and is deliberating whether to again write in his wife, Ann, or cast another ballot this November.
And Cindy McCain, the widow of Senator John McCain, is almost certain to support Mr. Biden but is unsure how public to be about it because one of her sons is eying a run for office.
[…]
Former Republican leaders like the former Speakers Paul D. Ryan and John A. Boehner won’t say how they will vote, and some Republicans who are already disinclined to support Mr. Trump are weighing whether to go beyond backing a third-party contender to openly endorse Mr. Biden.
In a statement to the Texas Tribune, a spokesperson for Bush denied the Times‘ report, saying: “This is completely made up.
"He is retired from presidential politics and has not indicated how he will vote.”
Bush, who has largely avoided politics since leaving office in 2009, has recently weighed in on the Chinese coronavirus pandemic and the death of George Floyd.
According to Breitbart, while neither statement mentioned President Trump by name, they were regarded as veiled swipes at his handling of both matters.
In May, Bush published a video message urging for unity and togetherness amid the outbreak, saying Americans are all God’s children and deserve equal treatment.
“[L]et us remember how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat,” he said.
“In the final analysis we are not partisan combatants, we are human beings equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God.
"We rise or fall together, and we are determined to rise.”
Shortly after, President Trump hit back at Bush with a reminder that the former president failed to defend him during his impeachment trial, saying: “He was nowhere to be found in speaking up against the greatest Hoax in American history!”
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On Tuesday, Bush, along with the former first lady, Laura Bush, said in a statement that they were “anguished by the brutal suffocation of George Floyd and disturbed by the injustice and fear that suffocate our country.”
“Yet we have resisted the urge to speak out because this is not the time for us to lecture,” the couple added.
"It is time for us to listen. It is time for America to examine our tragic failures — and as we do, we will also see some of our redeeming strengths."
On Monday, former Bush Treasury Department official Karen Kirksey launched a super PAC in support of former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.
The group, named 43 Alumni For Biden, lists Kirksey as its custodian of records and group’s treasurer.
Romney was the sole Republican senator to convict President Trump in the upper chamber’s impeachment trial.
