Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush Will Not Endorse Trump

Since securing the presumptive Republican nomination, Donald Trump declared he plans to unite the party behind him. That unification is off to a rough start.

On Wednesday night, spokesmen for George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, the last two Republicans to sit in the White House, told the Texas Tribune that neither former president will endorse Trump in his bid for the presidency.

“At age 91, President Bush is retired from politics,” Bush 41 spokesman Jim McGrath wrote in an email to the website. “He came out of retirement to do a few things for Jeb, but those were the exceptions that proved the rule.”

Freddy Ford, George W. Bush’s personal aide, said that his boss “does not plan to participate in or comment on the presidential campaign.”

The Tribune reported the elder Bush, often referred to as Bush 41 – indicating he was the 41st President – has endorsed every Republican nominee since he left office in 1992.

Their refusal to endorse Trump will likely add credence to the group of hardline, old-school Republicans who are abandoning the presidential candidate, and have claimed they too either will not participate in the general election, or may very well wind up supporting Hillary Clinton.

Whether the Bushes’ lack of support will sway moderate Republicans is yet to be seen, especially in the case of Bush 43, who is not fondly remembered as an accomplished president.

It’s probably safe to say, however, that the non-endorsement from the Bushes will not sway Trump’s group of ardent supporters. They have – and likely always will – staunchly defend their chosen head of the Republican party.