--- title: George H.W. Bush Wears Bill Clinton Socks to Visit description: Former President George H.W. Bush wore socks with Bill Clinton's face on them for his visit with the 42nd U. S. president. canonical: https://time.com/5322042/george-hw-bush-bill-clinton-socks/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-26T12:32:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:32:10.886Z og:title: George H. W. Bush Wore Clinton Socks to Meet Bill Clinton og:description: "Special visit today with a great friend" og:url: https://time.com/5322042/george-hw-bush-bill-clinton-socks/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9aa0be5895941c17/698933d74ee26264503122ee/ap18177021429504.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4819 og:image:height: 2711 og:image:alt: Bush Service Dog og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: George H. W. Bush Wore Clinton Socks to Meet Bill Clinton twitter:description: "Special visit today with a great friend" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9aa0be5895941c17/698933d74ee26264503122ee/ap18177021429504.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Former President George H. W. Bush Met With Bill Clinton and You Better Believe He Wore the Correct Socks > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 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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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. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=293b4f79-c113-4b20-bba5-fcdbe4013a7a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 5 Ex-Presidents and Their After-Office Income [Watch (HLS stream): 5 Ex-Presidents and Their After-Office Income](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bRoJOysQ.m3u8) (2:00)  _Published 2017-12-01. 5 Ex-Presidents and Their After-Office Income_ by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Jun 26, 2018 12:32 PM UTC Former President George H.W. Bush received his first ever service dog. by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Jun 26, 2018 12:32 PM UTC When Bill Clinton came to visit, [George H. W. Bush](http://time.com/5310620/george-hw-bush-first-president-94-years-old-birthday/) showed off his sweet side by sporting a unique pair of socks that featured the face of the Democrat who beat him more than 25 years ago. [Bush](http://time.com/5266739/george-hw-bush-released-hospital/), 94, has a history of expressing himself with a dapper sartorial sense, primarily with the strength of his sock game. During Clinton’s visit to Bush’s home in coastal Kennebunkport, Maine, the two former U.S. presidents shared a laugh. But the socks were the true political talking point. In case there was any doubt that POTUS No. 41 was prepared for his meeting with POTUS No. 42, Bush shared a picture of his fancy feet to his personal Twitter account along with a lighthearted caption. “Special visit today with a great friend — and now, a best-selling author. Luckily I had a freshly laundered pair of @BillClinton socks to mark the occasion,” Bush tweeted, referencing _The President is Missing_, the thriller Clinton co-wrote with James Patterson. > [](https://twitter.com/GeorgeHWBush/status/1011352833176850437) Predictably, people were all in, expressing everything from adoration to laughter about the tribute. Bush never met a sock with a message he didn’t like. At Barbara Bush’s funeral in April, he wore socks decorated with [stacks of colorful books](http://time.com/5249370/george-hw-bush-book-socks/) to honor her long devotion to literacy. Clinton also met Sully, the [new service dog](http://time.com/5321839/president-george-hw-bush-service-dog-sully/) the Bush family has enlisted. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5322042/george-hw-bush-bill-clinton-socks/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5322042/george-hw-bush-bill-clinton-socks/"},"headline":"Former President George H. W. Bush Met With Bill Clinton and You Better Believe He Wore the Correct Socks","datePublished":"2018-06-26T12:32:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-12T09:32:10.886Z","description":"\"Special visit today with a great friend\"","url":"https://time.com/5322042/george-hw-bush-bill-clinton-socks/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Bill Clinton","George H.W. 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