Politics - News Analysis

Bush Family Had To Promise Trump That He Wouldn’t Be Criticized At Funeral In Order For Him To Attend

According to the Washington Post, the Bush family promised Donald Trump that speeches and eulogies at funeral of George H.W. Bush’s would avoid criticizing him.

The Bush family assured Trump that the elder Bush’s funeral would not include the anti-Trump speeches that were on display at the August funeral for the late Sen. John McCain.

“The comparisons are presenting themselves; we are not heightening them,” a source familiar with funeral preparations told the Post.

Another source close to the preparations told the Post that Bush “wouldn’t want anyone there to feel uncomfortable, including the incumbent president.”

“It’s interesting, though, that praising the Bushes or McCain risks sounding critical of Trump even when Trump’s in no way part of the thinking,” the source told the newspaper.

Trump has a long history of insulting and taunting the Bush family — calling his 2016 primary opponent “low-energy” Jeb Bush, saying the 9/11 attacks were partly due to President George W. Bush’s failure to keep the nation safe, and mocking George H.W. Bush’s signature “thousand points of light” volunteerism program.

Trump is scheduled to attend the funeral at the Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday. Trump has provided the Bush family with Air Force One and permitted them to stay at the official guesthouse, Blair House, across the street from the White House.

While Trump will not deliver a eulogy, he will be seated in the front row alongside former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Bush’s son, former president George W. Bush, will deliver a eulogy.

Trump was reportedly very upset over the multiple digs at him during McCain’s funeral over the summer. Trump had a contentious relationship with the Arizona Republican even in the final months of his life, and many of those who spoke at McCain’s funeral, including his daughter, offered rebukes of Trump’s presidency.

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