Former US Presidents Father and Son Bush Will Not Support Donald Trump

In statements to The Guardian, spokespersons for both former US presidents said they will not follow the elections, Patria reports.

Freddy Ford, spokesperson for George W. Bush, stated for The Guardian:

- President George W. Bush does not plan to participate or comment on the presidential campaign.

The statement of the 43rd president is a reflection of his father's statement. Jim McGrath, spokesperson for George HW Bush, states for The Guardian:

- At 91 years old, President Bush has retired from politics. It is natural that he did a couple of things to help Jeb, but those were "exceptions that prove the rule".

The absence of support from the two former presidents concerns Donald Trump's transition to presumptive nominee (a candidate with party support, but still without its official endorsement). Many party figures are trying to come to terms with the fact that the demagogic TV reality star will be their main candidate in November.

And while some like Senators Dean Heller (Nevada) and Ben Sasse (Nebraska) have made it clear they will not vote for Trump in November, Senators Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire) and Rob Portman (Ohio) have said they will vote for the party's candidate, but will not endorse him.

The decision of both former presidents has a personal connotation, due to Jeb Bush's unsuccessful candidacy. The former governor of Florida, son of George HW and brother of George W, was continuously attacked by Trump throughout his campaign. The presumptive nominee labeled the governor "low-energy", even calling him a "disgrace to the family".

Trump also attacked George W. Bush in his numerous speeches and addresses. He accused him of lying about the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to justify the 2003 Iraq War.

- They lied. They said there were weapons of mass destruction – there weren't. And they knew there weren't. There were no weapons of mass destruction - Donald Trump said during a debate in February in Greenville, South Carolina.

The presumptive nominee also called the Iraq War a "mistake", making false claims that he was against the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime at the time.

The lack of support marks a continuation of the difficulties Trump will face in trying to unite a party divided over his candidacy.

Hillary Clinton's campaign released a video on Thursday showing former Republican candidates attacking him, as well as a compilation of prominent conservatives, from elected officials to party leaders and radio hosts, all refusing to endorse Trump in November. A recent CNN poll shows the likely Democratic candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, leading presumptive Republican nominee Trump 54-41 in the general election.