FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shake hands as they pose for a photo, at a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a U.S.-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. Yoan Valat/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Two conservative analysts bashed former President George W. Bush's recent essay during a podcast interview on Tuesday.
On Monday, Bush published a Substack essay about George Washington that several outlets interpreted as a subtle dig at President Donald Trump. Bush made several mentions of the leadership qualities of other presidents that seemed to be at odds with how Trump is leading the country, according to critics.
"As president, I found great comfort and inspiration in reading about my predecessors and the qualities they embodied," Bush wrote. "Abraham Lincoln’s resolve, Harry Truman’s decisiveness, Ronald Reagan’s optimism, and others reminded me of the challenges America has faced – and of the values that have helped us overcome them."
To Jonathan Last and Tim Miller at The Bulwark, the essay was much more of a revealing disappointment than it was an attempt to criticize the current president.
Last and Miller discussed the essay on a new episode of "The Bulwark Podcast" this week.
"I just find myself more disappointed than mad about it for whatever reason," Miller said. "And, maybe that's more about me. It's really unbelievably disappointing."
Bush is one of the few presidents who has not overtly spoken out about the second Trump administration. While some viewed the essay as a way for Bush to rehabilitate his image, Last said the essay really revealed something disturbing about the former president.
"For me, I think it makes any rehabilitation or second consideration of Bush impossible because I think Bush's conduct since the Trump moment arrived has revealed him to be a coward in important ways, or if not a coward, then to have such bad judgment," Last said.