Nicolle Wallace, who served as communications director in the Bush administration, has urged former President George W. Bush to have a “change of heart” and take a stand against Donald Trump by endorsing Kamala Harris.
In an appearance on MSNBC, Wallace explained that Trump’s recent comments aimed at Harris-supporting Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, daughter of Bush’s former vice president Dick Cheney, prompted her appeal, as reported by The Guardian.
“These are the comments we’re talking about right now in the United States of America from someone running to hold the job he had,” Wallace said, referring to Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric. Last week, Trump suggested that Cheney would not be a “radical war hawk” if faced on a battlefield with “nine barrels shooting at her” and guns “trained on her face.”
Democrats have condemned Trump’s language as a threat, while the Harris campaign labeled his words as “violent rhetoric.” Liz Cheney, a former Wyoming congresswoman, responded by stating, “This is how dictators destroy free nations.” Trump’s campaign, however, defended the comments, accusing Cheney of promoting “hawkish” foreign policy.
Despite other Republicans in his circle endorsing Harris—including Cheney’s father, Dick Cheney, who warned that “Donald Trump is the greatest threat to our republic”—Bush has indicated that he will not endorse a candidate. Bush’s daughter, Barbara Pierce Bush, has also shown her support for Harris and has been campaigning in Pennsylvania on her behalf, a crucial swing state. Bush’s spokesperson, Freddy Ford, told The New York Times last month that Bush “retired from presidential politics many years ago.” Since leaving office, Bush has largely stayed out of the spotlight, though he did attend Trump’s inauguration in 2017.
According to reports from New York Magazine, three sources at the event claimed they overheard Bush remarking, “That was some weird shit” after the ceremony, as reported by The Guardian. Wallace remains hopeful that Bush might still be persuaded, stating, “We have a right to hope that those who have stood for freedom and celebrated those who have protected it might have a last-minute change of heart in the closing hours of this campaign.”
Also Read: The Elon Musk Effect: How the World’s Richest Man Is Shaping US Democracy