Former president George W. Bush has stayed relatively silent in the 2024 presidential election.
But the former Republican president has finally broken his silence, congratulating president-elect Donald Trump for winning the election.
Bush declined to endorse Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris, despite Bush’s former running mate, Dick Cheney, endorsing Harris. Cheney’s daughter, Liz Cheney, also called for Bush to endorse Harris, while his own daughter, Barbara Bush, canvassed for Harris in Pennsylvania last month.
However, late yesterday Bush issued a statement congratulating Trump after the election was called.
“I congratulate President Trump on his election as 47th President of the United States of America, as well as Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and their families,” he said in a statement released about Wednesday 11 a.m. ET.
“Laura and I are grateful to the election officials, poll workers, and volunteers who oversaw a free and fair election,” Bush continued.
“We join our fellow citizens in praying for the success of our new leaders at all levels of government,” adding that the high turnout in the election is a sign of strength in American democracy.
He added “We join our fellow citizens in praying for the success of our new leaders at all levels of government. May God continue to bless our great country.”
Speaking of Liz Cheney, who has been a vocal critic of Trump, released a statement indicating that the nation’s democratic system had worked as intended and that all Americans, “whether we like the outcome or not,” must accept the results of the election.
“We now have a special responsibility, as citizens of the greatest nation on earth, to do everything we can to support and defend our Constitution, preserve the rule of law, and ensure that our institutions hold over these coming four years. Citizens across this country, our courts, members of the press, and those serving in our federal, state, and local governments must now be the guardrails of democracy.”
Our nation’s democratic system functioned last night and we have a new President-elect. All Americans are bound, whether we like the outcome or not, to accept the results of our elections. We now have a special responsibility, as citizens of the greatest nation on earth, to do…
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) November 6, 2024
Another Trump detractor, Mark Cuban, reluctantly chimed in, saying that Trump won the election “fair and square.”