--- title: George W. Bush Hits Donald Trump for Jeb in South Carolina description: "The strongest person usually isn’t the loudest one in the room" canonical: https://time.com/4225033/george-w-bush-counter-punches-donald-trump-at-jeb-rally/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-16T02:06:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:11.488Z article:section: Politics og:title: George W. Bush Hits Donald Trump for Jeb in South Carolina og:description: "The strongest person usually isn’t the loudest one in the room" og:url: https://time.com/4225033/george-w-bush-counter-punches-donald-trump-at-jeb-rally/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a0eda4d5269a1f6/69887dc40b72e314c76e8269/george-w-bush-counter-punches-donald-trump-at-jeb-rally.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3459 og:image:height: 1946 og:image:alt: Jeb Bush campaigns in North Charleston, South Carolina og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: George W. Bush Hits Donald Trump for Jeb in South Carolina twitter:description: "The strongest person usually isn’t the loudest one in the room" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a0eda4d5269a1f6/69887dc40b72e314c76e8269/george-w-bush-counter-punches-donald-trump-at-jeb-rally.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # George W. Bush Counterpunches Donald Trump at Jeb! Rally > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=befff743-38b5-448e-bce8-07a8f08c32a6&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Raw: George Bush Stumps for Jeb Bush [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Raw: George Bush Stumps for Jeb Bush](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/I5WHRvSx.m3u8) (1:11)  _Published 2016-02-16_ by [Zeke J Miller / North Charleston, S.C.](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) and [Philip Elliott / / North Charleston, S.C.](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/) Feb 16, 2016 2:06 AM UTC by [Zeke J Miller / North Charleston, S.C.](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) and [Philip Elliott / / North Charleston, S.C.](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/) Feb 16, 2016 2:06 AM UTC Sibling rivalries can bring out the best in brothers. Jeb Bush’s rally Monday with former President George W. Bush was no different. The scene was a world away from the Texas sandbox where they spent their childhood, but the same competitive streaks between brothers came to the fore six decades later. “I came here for two reasons: one because I care deeply about Jeb, and two because I care deeply about our country,” George W. Bush said. Neither is faring particularly well at the moment. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who has long since shed his front-runner title, offered his most compelling argument for a third Bush White House. Confident and cogent, he finally resembled the ultra-competent candidate that his advisers promoted as they collected more than $120 million from deep-pocketed donors. “This is not about a front-running candidate,” he declared. “This is about restoring our country’s greatness.” **Read more:** [_Trump’s New Favorite Line — Ted Cruz Is a Liar_](http://time.com/4224871/donald-trump-south-carolina-ted-cruz-liar/?xid=homepage) It’s not clear, though, if the pair’s first joint public event this campaign was sufficient. South Carolina Republicans vote on Saturday, and Jeb Bush, 63, is badly trailing celebrity developer Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz in a state with deep Bush-family ties. If anything, he remains locked in a pitched battle with Florida Senator Marco Rubio for third place. Voters, for the moment, seem indifferent to matron Barbara Bush’s education here, George W. Bush’s primary win in 2000 and the clan’s deep popularity among military veterans. Even Bush supporters remain critical. “This was too little, too late,” said one Republican who has hosted fundraisers for the Bush campaign and its allied super PAC. The campaign veteran attended the rally and said it would help Jeb’s prospects. “This should have happened three months ago,” he said. Indeed, the appearance of the 69-year-old former President [marked a sharp turn](http://time.com/4172461/jeb-bush-george-barbara-family/ http://time.com/4201051/jeb-bushs-family-name/) of events for the candidate who sought to campaign as Jeb-with-an-exclamation-point rather than on last name. In a season of anti-Establishment fervor, it was the former President, himself the son of another, who defended the legacy. “If serving as President of the United States makes me part of the so-called Establishment, I proudly wear that label,” George W. Bush said, before introducing his “big little brother.” However, on stage and off, it was clear which brother is the more natural politician. The bookish Jeb Bush rushed his way along the metal barricade that security put to keep the crowds in check, while his gregarious older brother lingered and relished the chance to practice the hand-to-hand politics that helped him win two difficult presidential races. One aide motioned for Jeb Bush to slow down, take the time to meet the voters. If George W. Bush could do it — and he had little more than pride at stake in this election — so could the man on the ballot. **Read more:** [_How Marco Rubio Plans to Win South Carolina_](http://time.com/4224561/marco-rubio-south-carolina-faith-christianity-religion-prayer/) George W. Bush left office deeply unpopular, with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragging down his numbers more severely than the economic crisis destroyed the stock markets. But in the years since, his popularity has ticked upward. “History has 20/20 vision,” said Lyn Wadsworth, a 69-year-old truck driver from Charleston, who attended the rally. He wanted to hear President Bush, but left open to supporting his brother. “Look, was W. perfect? No,” Wadsworth said. “But he is better than Barack.” Veterans of George W. Bush’s White House and his campaigns have been watching the younger Bush struggle in this campaign. George W. and his father George H.W. Bush have privately told friends that they do not understand the campaign and why voters are responding to Trump. Hundreds of family allies have been working the phones and pounding the pavement in the early states to boost the next Bush, efforts that thus far have little to show for themselves. The elder Bush peppered his remarks with not-so-subtle references to Trump, the bombastic GOP front runner who threatens the future of the party to which their family has devoted generations. Trump had criticized George W. Bush at the last Republican debate for the invasion of Iraq, yet the 43rd President refused to return the fire on the same issue. “We do not need someone in the Oval Office who mirrors and inflames our anger and frustration,” the former President said. “This is a serious election for a serious job.” He contented by contrasting Trump’s temperament with his brother’s at-times-milquetoast mannerism. “In my experience, the strongest person usually isn’t the loudest one in the room,” he said. He then reminded voters of their role. “Your most solemn job as voters is to elect someone who understands the threats that we face,” said Bush, who used national-security concerns to power a technically superior campaign in 2004\. And in a nod to South Carolina’s deeply religious electorate, George W. Bush took a page from his 2000 campaign. “Jeb is man of deep and humble faith, that reveals itself through good works, not loud words,” he continued. For his part, Jeb Bush credited his brother for “keeping us safe” after the attacks of Sept. 11 and criticized Trump for suggesting that W. should have been impeached for launching the Iraq War. He also took several veiled shots at his former mentee, Rubio, suggesting he “cut and run” on his support for comprehensive immigration reform. But the candidate reserved most of his remarks for what he struggled to do for months: laying out an affirmative case for his election. “I can beat Hillary Clinton, I can promise you that,” the younger Bush said. But he’ll need his brother to give him the chance. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] [ APPLAUSE ] We need someone who can take a positive message, across the entire country. Someone who can inspire, And appeal to people from all walks of life. And I understand that Americans are angry and frustrated. But we do not need someone in the Oval Office who mirrors and inflames our anger and frustration. [ APPLAUSE ] We need someone who can fix the problems that cause our anger and frustration, and that's Jeb Bush. [ APPLAUSE ] Jeb will listen to the voices of the disenfranchised. He will rise above the petty name calling. And once elected, he will not need a poll or a focus group to tell him how to think or what to do. He will stand on principle. He will not waver in the wind, and he will always do what's right for American people. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4225033/george-w-bush-counter-punches-donald-trump-at-jeb-rally/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4225033/george-w-bush-counter-punches-donald-trump-at-jeb-rally/"},"headline":"George W. Bush Counterpunches Donald Trump at Jeb! 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