--- title: Former Presidents Bush Don't Plan to Endorse Donald Trump description: Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush do not plan to endorse anyone in the the 2016 presidential race canonical: https://time.com/4318875/george-jeb-bush-donald-trump-endorse/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-04T23:17:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:46:11.752Z article:section: Politics og:title: Both Former Presidents Bush Don't Plan to Endorse Donald Trump og:description: George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush enthusiastically endorsed previous Republican nominees og:url: https://time.com/4318875/george-jeb-bush-donald-trump-endorse/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt716f5a9056890f04/698891f4ab6d77de166a98e7/george-bush-endorsement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: George W. Bush Library Dedication Attended By President Obama And Former Presidents og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Both Former Presidents Bush Don't Plan to Endorse Donald Trump twitter:description: George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush enthusiastically endorsed previous Republican nominees twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt716f5a9056890f04/698891f4ab6d77de166a98e7/george-bush-endorsement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Both Former Presidents Bush Won't Endorse Trump > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly May 4, 2016 11:17 PM UTC  Former President George W. Bush (right) talks to his father President George H.W. Bush during the opening ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas on Apr. 25, 2013. Former President George W. Bush (right) talks to his father President George H.W. Bush during the opening ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas on Apr. 25, 2013. Kevork Djansezian—Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly May 4, 2016 11:17 PM UTC Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush [do not plan to endorse anyone](https://www.texastribune.org/2016/05/04/bush-41-43-have-no-plans-endorse-trump/) in the the 2016 presidential race. The father and brother of Jeb Bush, who [dropped out of the Republican primary race](http://time.com/4231664/jeb-bush-drops-out-president/) in February, said they won’t participate in the election process and won’t endorse [presumptive Republican nominee](http://time.com/4316170/indiana-primary-results-donald-trump-ted-cruz-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-republicans/) Donald Trump, the [Texas _Tribune_ reported](https://www.texastribune.org/2016/05/04/bush-41-43-have-no-plans-endorse-trump/) on Wednesday. “At age 91, President Bush is retired from politics,” Jim McGrath, the 41st president’s spokesman, said in an email Wednesday, the _Tribune_ reported. “He came out of retirement to do a few things for Jeb, but those were the exceptions that proved the rule.” George W. Bush’s personal aide, Freddy Ford, said the 43rd president “does not plan to participate in or comment on the presidential campaign,” the _Tribune_ reported. Both former presidents have endorsed previous Republican nominees, supporting Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012. Jeb Bush [endorsed Ted Cruz](http://time.com/4268888/jeb-bush-endorses-ted-cruz/) in March, calling him a “consistent, principled conservative.” Cruz [ended his campaign for president](http://time.com/4317299/ted-cruz-drops-out-ends-campaign-indiana-primary-analysis/) after losing the Indiana primary on Tuesday. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4318875/george-jeb-bush-donald-trump-endorse/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4318875/george-jeb-bush-donald-trump-endorse/"},"headline":"Both Former Presidents Bush Won't Endorse Trump","datePublished":"2016-05-04T23:17:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:46:11.752Z","description":"They have enthusiastically endorsed previous Republican nominees","url":"https://time.com/4318875/george-jeb-bush-donald-trump-endorse/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election","Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt716f5a9056890f04/698891f4ab6d77de166a98e7/george-bush-endorsement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt716f5a9056890f04/698891f4ab6d77de166a98e7/george-bush-endorsement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"George W. 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