Former President George W. Bush will not endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, his office confirmed this week. Bush’s refusal to support President Donald Trump highlights the ongoing divide between Trump’s non-interventionist foreign policy and the neoconservative legacy of Bush, who led the U.S. into the Iraq War.
Bush’s office told NBC News that neither he nor his wife, Laura, would be endorsing or revealing their vote in the upcoming election. This is not the first time Bush has withheld support for Trump, as he also declined to endorse him in 2016 and 2020. Instead, Bush wrote in Condoleezza Rice in 2020 as his preferred candidate.
Trump’s presidency is marked by his refusal to start new wars, a stark contrast to Bush’s interventionist policies. Many conservatives view Trump’s foreign policy record favorably, particularly his focus on putting America’s interests first and avoiding unnecessary military engagements.
The timing of Bush’s announcement follows former Vice President Dick Cheney’s decision to endorse Kamala Harris. Cheney, who served as Bush’s vice president during the Iraq War, has criticized Trump as the greatest threat to the nation. Trump responded by calling Cheney an “irrelevant RINO,” highlighting the deep divisions between Trump and the neoconservative establishment.
As the 2024 election nears, the refusal of figures like Bush and Cheney to back Trump underscores the ongoing ideological battle within the Republican Party over the direction of U.S. foreign policy.
