George W. Bush has been urged to endorse Kamala Harris in the upcoming election after his daughter Barbara canvassed for the Democratic nominee.
Speaking on The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast, former GOP representative Liz Cheney urged the former president to speak out on the dangers of Donald Trump.
Cheney, daughter of Bush’s former Vice President Dick Cheney, said: ‘I can’t explain why [he] hasn’t spoken out, but I think it’s time, and I wish that he would.’
The elder Cheney has already crossed party lines and said Trump should ‘never be trusted with power again’, with his daughter confirming he was backing Harris.
With Barbara Bush, 42, canvassing in Pennsylvania last week for Harris, pressure is starting to mount for the former commander-in-chief, 78, to pick a side.
In September of this year a spokesman for Bush told DailyMail.com that he had no plans to make any public endorsement.
‘He retired from presidential politics many years ago,’ they said, adding that neither Bush nor his wife Laura would reveal who they are voting for in November.
Despite Bush keeping mom, his daughter Barbara told People: ‘It was inspiring to join friends and meet voters with the Harris-campaign in Pennsylvania this weekend.
‘I’m hopeful they’ll move our country forward and protect women’s rights.’
It was a low key gesture, but nevertheless made her the latest person identified with the pre-Trump Republican Party to throw her support to the Democratic candidate.
The activist is no stranger to campaigning, although she keeps a low public profile.
She spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2004 and campaigned for her dad’s reelection in swing states.
Her twin sister Jenna previously spoke about the personal toll politics takes when Joe Biden announced he wouldn’t be seeking reelection.
‘We’ve become a country that is so divided about politics that sometimes it’s hard to think, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s a human,’ Jenna told the Today show.
‘I just hope we can get back as a country to a place where it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s a human and this must have been a really difficult decision,’ and one in which his family helped probably support, but also are sad about and that is understandable,’
The registered Republican called his decision ‘admirable’ and said Biden had to make ‘a hard decision because a lot of one-term presidents don’t feel like the job has been done.’
Trump continually mocked George Bush’s younger brother Jeb – the sister’s uncle – throughout his successful 2016 campaign.
He has called their father’s two terms in office ‘a failed and uninspiring presidency,’ while essentially taking over the party where the Bush dynasty held sway for years.
Trump has also tore into Dick Cheney, while labeling his daughter Liz Cheney – who is campaigning for Harris – a ‘warmonger.’
‘Her father was responsible for invading the Middle East, killing millions of Arabs – millions – and this is the one that Kamala is campaigning with,’ Trump said.
Speaking on Thursday night at an event with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Trump sparked outrage after branding Liz Cheney a ‘dumb war hawk’.
He said: ‘She’s a radical war hawk. Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, okay, let’s see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face.’
Democrats immediately criticized him for the comment but Harris took it a step further, saying Trump should no longer be in the presidential race.
She told reporters: ‘Anyone who wants to be president of the United States who uses that kind of violent rhetoric is clearly is disqualified and unqualified to be president.’
Harris called Cheney ‘a true patriot who has shown extraordinary courage in putting country above party.’
‘Trump, however, considers his political opponents the enemy and is permanently out for revenge and increasingly unstable and unhinged. His enemies list has grown longer.’
‘His rhetoric has grown more extreme, and he is even less focused than before on the needs and the concerns and the challenges facing the American people,’ Harris added.
The Democratic nominees said she has not spoken to Cheney since Trump’s remark.
Trump has long railed against Cheney, who criticized him for his role in the January 6th insurrection and was one of two Republican lawmakers who sat on the House committee investigating it.
Back in March, Trump called for Cheney to be jailed over her role in investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Cheney should ‘go to jail along with the rest’ of the select January 6 House committee.