Bill Clinton defends George W. Bush's silence in 2024

Former President Bill Clinton defended his fellow former presidents' club – George W. Bush – for his silence on the presidential election, saying Bush did not want to anger the party to which he had dedicated his life.

Dubya has largely avoided commenting on presidential politics over the past decade, having supported John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012. Instead, he advocated for down-ballot Republican elections and hosted a fundraiser for Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick in April.

“First of all, I think he's had more say than he's been given credit for, and he's taking every opportunity I've seen to talk about how important immigration is and how we can't survive without it,” Clinton said told CNN in an interview that aired Sunday.

Another candidate Bush appears to like: Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), the Democratic Senate candidate in Texas who represents Bush's home district. Clinton said Bush expressed his appreciation for Allred directly to him. “He’ll tell everyone he’s a good guy,” Clinton said.

“He also knows that, starting with our relationship, it's very different when you're no longer in political life, when there's no competition and no consequences,” Clinton added. “And I think he believes that since he's been a proud Republican all these years, it's enough for him to do all that to make it clear what he believes in without abandoning the party that he's been a part of his whole life.”

While Bush has not publicly expressed his views on Trump – unlike his Vice President Dick Cheney, who endorsed Kamala Harris in September – he has not kept his opinions secret. In a widely circulated report of Trump reflecting on “American carnage” during his 2017 inaugural address, Bush addressed Hillary Clinton with a candid assessment of the comments.

“That was some weird shit,” Bush said.