--- title: Donald Trump: George W. Bush Gives Advice to New President description: Former President George W. Bush shared some presidential advice for President Donald Trump canonical: https://time.com/4691352/george-bush-donald-trump-president-advice/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-05T19:55:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T03:40:13.098Z article:section: Politics og:title: Here's George W. Bush's Advice For President Trump og:description: The former president wants Trump to "succeed" og:url: https://time.com/4691352/george-bush-donald-trump-president-advice/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta46bbce2bc26417f/6988bd050b72e33dc86ecd8e/george-bush1.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: President George W. Bush Discusses His New Book At The Reagan Presidential Library og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's George W. Bush's Advice For President Trump twitter:description: The former president wants Trump to "succeed" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta46bbce2bc26417f/6988bd050b72e33dc86ecd8e/george-bush1.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's George W. Bush's Advice For President 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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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 [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Mar 5, 2017 7:55 PM UTC  Former U.S. President George W. Bush speaks during a discussion about his new book "Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors" at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on March 1, 2017 in Simi Valley, California Former U.S. President George W. Bush speaks during a discussion about his new book "Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors" at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on March 1, 2017 in Simi Valley, California Justin Sullivan—Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Mar 5, 2017 7:55 PM UTC Former President George W. Bush has some advice for [President Donald Trump](http://time.com/4691286/james-clapper-donald-trump-barack-obama-wire-tap/). Bush’s words of wisdom were two-fold —he wants to see Trump succeed in office and wished the new Commander-in-Chief well, the 43rd president said in an [interview Sunday with TODAY](http://www.today.com/news/george-w-bush-reveals-advice-he-d-give-president-trump-t108881?cid=sm%5Fnpd%5Fnn%5Ftw%5Fma). “I’d say the same advice I gave before: It’s a really hard job and I wish you all the best,” he told Sunday TODAY host Willie Geist. And aside from his general advice, Bush also suggested that Trump surround himself with “good people.” “Empower them and make sure they’re able to give you unfettered advice,” he said. Bush named Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and national security adviser H.R. McMaster as notable examples in Trump’s cabinet. Watch the interview [here](http://www.today.com/news/george-w-bush-reveals-advice-he-d-give-president-trump-t108881?cid=sm%5Fnpd%5Fnn%5Ftw%5Fma). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4691352/george-bush-donald-trump-president-advice/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4691352/george-bush-donald-trump-president-advice/"},"headline":"Here's George W. 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