Former president George W. Bush is not expected to attend a White House ceremony hosted by First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday, which will honor his late mother, Barbara Bush.
The event will mark the unveiling of a U.S postage stamp that will feature Barbara, a former first lady who was married to former president George H. W. Bush. Barbara died in 2018 at the age of 92.
George W. Bush’s sister, Dorothy Bush Koch, is expected to attend the ceremony along with other friends and family, including Alice Yates, the CEO of the George and Barbara Bush Foundation.
But the 43rd president of the U.S., and his wife, Laura Bush, are not expected to attend, the Washington Post reported.
The Independent has asked a spokesperson for Bush for comment.
It is unclear why George W. Bush is not attending the ceremony honoring his mother.
Much like other former presidents, George W. Bush has had a distant relationship with President Donald Trump – declining to endorse the Republican nominee in 2016, 2020 or 2024, despite being members of the same party.
However, the 43rd president congratulated Trump on his most recent win and attended the inauguration ceremony.
In the past, George W. Bush has made veiled comments about Trump, calling the political landscape “a naked appeal to anger, fear and resentment” in 2021 and condemning the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Trump, meanwhile, has more publicly criticized George W. Bush. After the 43rd president condemned January 6, Trump accused him of being a hypocrite for getting the U.S. into the Afghanistan war, “and then not winning.”
Barbara Bush also reportedly did not like Trump, according to her biographer. Just before her death, Barbara said she no longer identified with the Republican Party, and in a diary entry, she said she viewed Trump as a “symbol of greed.”
Barbara Bush’s stamp will be part of a collection of six other first ladies who have been portrayed on stamps. The latest addition was Nancy Reagan in 2022. Former first lady Jill Biden helped unveil that stamp and was joined by one of Nancy Reagan’s nieces – none of the living Reagan children or grandchildren attended.
