--- title: George W. Bush: Donald Trump, Russia Ties Need Answers description: In an interview on NBC's Today Show canonical: https://time.com/4683734/george-w-bush-donald-trump-russia-today/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-27T14:31:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T07:18:24.926Z article:section: Politics og:title: George W. Bush on Trump's Russia Ties: 'We Need Answers' og:description: "I think we all need answers." og:url: https://time.com/4683734/george-w-bush-donald-trump-russia-today/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte23908a5cb90ad8d/6988bc1f0b72e36ad86ecc70/gettyimages-632204946.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Former US President George W. Bush leaves after the Presidential Inauguration at the US Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: George W. Bush on Trump's Russia Ties: 'We Need Answers' twitter:description: "I think we all need answers." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte23908a5cb90ad8d/6988bc1f0b72e36ad86ecc70/gettyimages-632204946.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # George W. Bush on President Trump's Russia Ties: 'We Need Answers' > 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. 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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=7872c431-9b4d-4915-9579-92b0bdffcaf2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump on Anonymous Sourcing [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump on Anonymous Sourcing](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/pgkdPYum.m3u8) (1:49)  _Published 2017-02-24. President Trump criticized the news media for using anonymous sources in his 2017 CPAC speech. But he isn't always so critical - in his own way, Trump loves to cite anonymous sources._ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Feb 27, 2017 2:31 PM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Feb 27, 2017 2:31 PM UTC [Former President George W. Bush](http://www.today.com/video/george-w-bush-on-president-trump-putin-religious-freedom-immigration-more-885676611701) weighed in on the calls for a special prosecutor to investigate the connections between the Trump campaign and Russia during an interview with [NBC’s _Today_ show](http://www.today.com/video/george-w-bush-on-president-trump-putin-religious-freedom-immigration-more-885676611701) on Monday. “I think we all need answers,” Bush said. “Whether or not the special prosecutor is the right way to go or not you’re talking to the wrong guy.” Questions about the Trump campaigns connections to Russia throughout the 2016 election have lingered in the wake of reports that officials from Trump’s camp had [repeated contacts with Russian officials throughout the election cycle](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/us/politics/russia-intelligence-communications-trump.html). Bush said Monday that he would be looking to Republican Sen. Richard Burr, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, for his response to the questions about a special prosecutor “I have great faith in Richard Burr. If he were to recommend a special prosecutor then I’d be—it’d have a lot more credibility with me,” Bush said. “I’ve never been a lawyer. I’m not sure the right avenue to take. I am sure, though, that that question needs to be answered.” The president visited the _Today_ show to talk about his new book, _Portraits of Courage_, in which he pays tribute to America’s veterans via portraits. Bush, whose brother Jeb ran against Trump in the Republican primary, did not bash the President in the interview, but he was pressed on the first month of the Administration. Bush said having a free press is crucial to democracy, amid the current President’s repeated charges that the media is “fake” and the “enemy of the American people.” “I consider the media to be indispensable to democracy,” President Bush said. “Power can be very addictive. Power can be very corrosive.” Bush was also asked about the executive order that bans travelers from seven majority Muslim countries. “A bedrock of our freedom is the right to worship freely,” Bush said. “I am for an immigration policy that’s welcoming and upholds the law.” Bush said U.S. and media should take Trump at his word when he says he wants to bring the country together. “I think you have to take a man for his word that he wants to unify the country,” Bush said. “It’s hard to unify the country, though, with the news media being so split up.” ## Transcript A few days ago, I called the fake news the enemy of the people because they have no sources. They just make them up. They shouldn't be allowed To use sources unless they use somebody's name. Let their name be put out there. Let their name be put out there. A source said Donald Trump Why do you deny that? A lot of people do not think it was an authentic certificate. How can you say that if this But many people do not think it was authentic. His mother was not in the hospital. [ MUSIC ]. A lot of people are saying that, a lot of people are saying. that bad things are happening out there. And these are areas that are profiting up a facade. Right and I'm hearing that and I hear they're hitting both but I'm hearing that. A lot of people said I won and I'm very happy about it. There are many people that think maybe he doesn't want to get it. He doesn't want to see what's really happened. [ MUSIC ] A spirit that many people have told me They've never seen before. Well no, I was told, I was given that information. I don't know, I was just given. I have a friend. He's a very, very substantial guy. He loves the City of Lights. He loves Paris. For years, every year during the summer, he would go to Paris. It was automatic with his wife and his family. Hadn't seen him in a while. And I said, Jim, let me ask you a question. How's Paris doing? Paris, I don't go there anymore. Paris is no longer Paris. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4683734/george-w-bush-donald-trump-russia-today/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4683734/george-w-bush-donald-trump-russia-today/"},"headline":"George W. Bush on President Trump's Russia Ties: 'We Need Answers'","datePublished":"2017-02-27T14:31:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-07T07:18:24.926Z","description":"In an interview on NBC's Today Show","url":"https://time.com/4683734/george-w-bush-donald-trump-russia-today/","keywords":["russia","White House","George W. 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