SPEAKING OUT

Bush Rebukes Trump on Media, Immigration

Says the media are “indispensable to democracy.”

In a rare interview, former President George W. Bush rebuked President Donald Trump on his views about the media and immigration. Speaking with Matt Lauer on NBC’s TODAY show, Bush said the news media are “indispensable to democracy” and said he is in favor of an immigration policy that is “welcoming and upholds the law.” Trump has called the press “fake” and “the enemy of the people,” a view Bush does not share. Bush told Lauer that he often tried to convince leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin to “accept the notion of an independent press,” adding, “and it’s kind of hard to, you know, tell others to have an independent, free press when we’re not willing to have one ourselves.”