Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) offered praise for President Trump and his wife Melania in the days leading up to his father’s funeral.
Bush told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that Trump and the first lady were “really gracious” upon the Bush family’s arrival in Washington this week, where they joined every living former president for former President George H.W. Bush’s funeral service.
{mosads}The president “couldn’t have been nicer,” the former Florida governor added.
“This is a time to celebrate George H.W. Bush, not to grieve his loss,” Bush told the Journal. His father died last Friday at the age of 94.
Trump sat alongside his wife and next to former President Obama and his wife Michelle Obama at Wednesday’s funeral.
The interactions were heavily scrutinized, and Trump was seen on camera greeting the Obamas, but did not appear to speak with either former President Bill Clinton or his wife and Trump’s 2016 rival, Hillary Clinton.
Fox News anchor Chris Wallace remarked during his network’s coverage of the event that he was struck by a “chill” that apparently descended upon the front row of the funeral ceremony upon Trump’s arrival Wednesday, describing the interaction between Trump and the Obamas as “cool.”
Trump defeated Jeb Bush to win the GOP presidential nomination, tagging the Florida governor as “low energy” along the way. Bush had been seen as a favorite for the nomination before Trump’s surprising rise.