Relations between the Bush and Trump families have never been very cordial. After all, Donald Trump first ran for president as a repudiation of the previous Republican era, and one of his opponents in 2016 was Jeb Bush. The Bushes have mostly kept Trump at arm’s length in the years since.
Now, the 43rd president will reportedly skip a White House event on Thursday, hosted by First Lady Melania Trump, which will unveil a new postage stamp in honor of the late Barbara Bush, the former first lady and the mother of George W. Bush.
According to the Washington Post, Bush was not expected to attend the event, according to two White House officials familiar with the plans. Other family members will attend the ceremony, including Bush’s sister Doro Bush Koch and Alice Yates, chief executive of the George and Barbara Bush Foundation.
Melania Trump was snubbed by former president George W. Bush after he declined an invitation to attend an event tomorrow at the White House’s East Room for the unveiling of a U.S. Postal Service stamp honoring his mother, the late former First Lady Barbara Bush.
— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) May 7, 2025
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George W. Bush did not endorse Trump for president at any point and said he did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020. He has not appeared or spoken at any of the recent Republican conventions, although he did make appearances at both Trump inaugurations.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will not be in attendance either. However, he did author an op-ed in February, advising the Trump administration on how best to handle education policy.
Barbara Bush and her husband, the 41st president of the United States, both died within a few months of each other in 2018. Trump did not attend Barbara Bush’s funeral “out of respect” for the family, he said at the time, although Melania Trump did attend. Trump did attend the funeral in December of President George H.W. Bush.
All of the living presidents gathered late last year at President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, where George W. Bush was seen to have snubbed Trump:
George Bush snubbed Donald Trump and Melania at Jimmy Carter’s funeral.
I’m extremely happy that Trump isn’t his pal. pic.twitter.com/QptdJ178Sj
— 🇺🇸↪️aptain Ⓜ️organ🇺🇸 (@CaptainMorganTN) January 10, 2025
The event follows a New York Times report this week that Melania Trump has rarely been at the White House since resuming her role as first lady.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
