Former President George W. Bush (R) is seeking to clarify his recent description of the Republican Party.
During Tuesday’s “Today” show interview, Bush described the Republican Party as he sees it “today” as “isolationist, protectionist, and to a certain extent, nativist.”
When NBC News’s Hoda Kotb asked Bush if he is “disappointed,” he replied, “Well, it’s not exactly my vision.”
During an interview with People magazine, Bush told the publication, “Really what I should have said — there’s loud voices who are isolationists, protectionists and nativists, something, by the way, I talked about when I was president.”
He continued, “My concerns [are] about those -isms, but I painted with too broad a brush … because by saying what I said, it excluded a lot of Republicans who believe we can fix the problem.”
Kotb went on to ask Bush if a hypothetical 2024 candidate who is “pro-immigration, pro-path to citizenship for undocumented workers, pro-DACA, pro-reasonable gun control, pro-education funding for schools” has a chance of winning the party’s nomination.
“Sure. It depends upon the emphasis, if the emphasis is integrity and decency and trying to work to get problems solved, I think the person has a shot,” Bush replied.
During the People magazine interview, Bush also revealed he wrote in Condoleezza Rice on his ballot for the 2020 November election.
“She knows it. But she told me she would refuse to accept the office,” Bush said.
Kotb pointed out Bush has “made it a point” not to criticize his predecessors.
When asked if he has been tempted to do so, Bush responded, “Yeah, I guess I have been. Sure.”
