Nope, George W. Bush Did Not Vote For Hillary Clinton

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Everyone gets a second act in Hollywood, even one of Tinseltown’s prime targets throughout much of the 2000s: President George W. Bush. But with President Donald Trump in the White House, some are looking back on the Bush years through rosier glasses.

Taking the stage to healthy applause during a Wednesday lunch session at the Milken Global Conference in Beverly Hills, the former president started off by talking about one of the most successful parts of his legacy — his work to combat HIV and AIDS in Africa as part of the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief — and how that squares with today’s “America First” position taken by current President Donald Trump.

“When you talk about somebody else’s problem, ‘let them take care of it themselves,'” Bush said, adding, “I wish taxpayers knew.”

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The former president said combating AIDS in Africa was in the country’s national and security interests, but he indicated he is motivated by something deeper.

“When you’re told a pandemic is destroying an entire generation of people and you’re the president of the most powerful nation, it would be morally shameful not to act,” he said.

Bush told interviewer and Milken Institute Chairman Michael Milken that he hid his plans to take on AIDS from members of Congress, because he didn’t want it to devolve into social issues, like debates over contraception. And he said he’ll never forget the reaction from Congress when he unveiled his plan during a State of the Union address.

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“I’ll never forget the faces of the members of Congress when I said $15 billion, we’re going to defeat AIDS,” Bush said. “They were shocked. I guess Republicans aren’t supposed to care.”

However, Bush mentioned one pillar of his foreign policy that is more traditionally Republican — and which he acknowledged might put him at odds with some in the room.

“Often times I believe it takes strong U.S. leadership to make things happen,” he said.

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The 43rd president, a longtime proponent of immigration reform, also weighed in on an increasingly hot-button issue, as Trump campaigned on a border wall and implemented (an ultimately pulled) travel ban.

“I was raised in Texas — we were Mexico,” Bush said. “The culture didn’t make me nervous. I always felt like Texas is a richer place because of the Latino influence.”

Bush said a lot of the vitriol currently directed toward people not born in the United States is simply anger — a phenomenon with some historical precedent in the country.

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“When people are angry it’s easy to blame somebody else,” Bush said. “Oftentimes the easiest target is immigrants.”

He referenced how in the 1920s and 1930s, plenty of people believed there were too many Jews and Italians in the country.

“About the same time, we had an ‘America First’ policy,” he said. “You can figure that out.”

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Bush also elaborated on his views of the Middle East, which hasn’t changed much since his presidency — despite the war in Iraq costing trillions of dollars and thousands of lives. He still believes the long arc of history bends toward freedom — even if it needs to be given a push.

“If you study history, freedom always wins if given a chance,” he said. “And freedom yields peace. I believe women will lead the freedom movement in the Middle East.”

He also had a strong rebuke for those who have criticized his outlook by claiming “Muslims can’t self-govern.”

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“That’s what we said about Condi Rice’s relatives for too long in this country,” he said, referencing African Americans.

Milken took time later in the conversation to point out things he and the former president have in common, including the fact that both were cheerleaders in high school. One big distinction: future actress Sally Field was a high school classmate and fellow cheerleader of Milken’s, while Bush’s squad had no such star sizzle.

“That’s the difference between California and Texas,” Bush said. “Hanging out with the movie stars. Not exactly my base of support, by the way.”

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It also wouldn’t be an interview with the former president without at least one “Bushism” — and this one came after he laughed about another misstatement.

“English has not always been my long suit,” he said.

24 Republicans Who Won't Be Voting for Donald Trump (Photos)

While many major Republican figures like Mitch McConnell and John Boehner have towed the party line and pledged their support to Donald Trump, there are some who refuse to back him -- even if it means that Hillary Clinton will become the next President. In the wake of Trump's "grab her" tapes, that list has grown even further Here are some notable names who see Trump as an opponent to conservative values.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham has been one of the most outspoken conservative critics of Trump, calling frequently on fellow Republicans to pull their support for him. Following Trump's derogatory comments against Judge Gonzalo Curiel, Graham said that at some point "there’ll come a time when the love of country will trump hatred of Hillary."
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2012 Republican candidate Mitt Romney has also been an early voice of dissent, telling the Wall Street Journal that he thinks Trump has "a character and temperament unfit for the leader of the free world."
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While his brother and father have refrained from comment on Trump, Jeb Bush has continued his crusade against Donald even after losing to him in the primary. In a Washington Post column, Bush said he will not vote for Clinton or Trump and declared that "Trump’s abrasive, Know Nothing-like nativist rhetoric has blocked out sober discourse about how to tackle America’s big challenges."
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Jeb Bush's mother and former first lady, Barbara Bush, also spoke out against Trump, telling CBS how she didn't understand how women could vote for him after his comments against Megyn Kelly.
Hewlett Packard executive and Republican fundraiser Meg Whitman has called Trump "a dishonest demagogue," who could lead the country "on a very dangerous journey."
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One of Jeb Bush's aides, Sally Bradshaw, was so disgusted by Trump that she decided to leave the Republican Party all together. "Ultimately, I could not abide the hateful rhetoric of Donald Trump and his complete lack of principles and conservative philosophy," she told CNN. "If and when the party regains its sanity, I’ll be ready to return."
During the primary, former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman made it quite clear how he views Donald Trump in a Minneapolis Star-Tribune column: "I won't vote for Donald Trump because of who he isn't. He isn't a Republican. He isn't a conservative. He isn't a truth teller. He's not a uniter ... I also won't vote for Donald Trump because of who he is. A bigot. A misogynist. A fraud. A bully."
Glenn Beck, a staunch Cruz supporter during the primary, has not joined other pundits like Sean Hannity on the Trump bandwagon. "Donald Trump is the face of the GOP. Well, that makes us crony capitalists. It makes us wafflers. It makes us pretty racist,” Beck said on his show in May. “It makes us big government guys. Just, you name it -- it makes us that.”
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In August, The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol got into a heated debate on CNN with conservative commentator Kayleigh McEnany over Trump. "You're supporting a man who is utterly unfit to be President of the United States," Kristol said. "For a second in your personal life you would not tolerate him. A bully, a man of genuinely bad character!"
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Erick Erickson, editor of right-wing site The Resurgent, had this to say about Trump and his supporters: "This is not a game. This is not team sport. This is about the future of the country. If Donald Trump was unfit last month, two months ago, or last September to be placed in front of the nuclear button, he is unfit this month, next month, and in November."
At a luncheon for the Federalist Society in June, Washington Post conservative columnist George Will said that he will no longer be registered as a Republican following Trump's nomination. "This is not my party," he said, noting that Paul Ryan's endorsement of Trump was a factor in his decision to leave.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says he will not vote for Trump or Clinton. In February, while voicing his support for Chris Christie during the primaries, Baker had this to say about Trump: "I think there’s a certain temperament and a certain collaborative nature that’s fundamental to somebody’s ability to succeed in government, and I question whether he has the temperament and the sense of purpose that’s associated with delivering on that."
Former CIA and NSA head Michael Hayden was one of four Republican national security officials who signed a letter in August declaring they would not vote for Donald Trump, claiming he would "put at-risk our country's national security and well-being."
Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, whose seat is up for grabs in November and is pictured right, was the first sitting GOP senator to pull his support of Trump. He has said that he will vote for a write-in candidate, though he hasn't decided who that would be. He has previously said he would write in David Petraeus and Colin Powell for his vote.
While Paul Ryan has rescinded his opposition to Trump, another Wisconsin Republican, Rep. Reid Ribble, said he "would not compromise principle for a party." When asked what he would say to Ryan about his endorsement, Ribble said that "he needs to make sure that his own principles and convictions" hold true, because after this is over, "you have only got that."
Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo became the first sitting Republican Senator to completely pull support of Trump in the wake of the release of a taped conversation between Donald Trump and Billy Bush.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for Trump to withdraw from the election on Facebook. "As a Republican, I hope to support someone who has the dignity and stature to run for the highest office in the greatest democracy on earth," she wrote.
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Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a Twitter statement that he would not be voting for a Republican presidential candidate for the first time since becoming an American citizen, telling fellow Republicans that "it is not only acceptable to choose your country over your party – it is your duty."
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After providing tepid support for Trump for several months, Sen. John McCain officially pulled his support following the release of the tapes. "Trump’s behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy," he wrote.
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After rescinding an invitation to a GOP event in Wisconsin, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced that he would no longer be defending Trump and would be focused on supporting the campaigns of incumbent Republicans in Congress.
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Ohio Governor John Kasich was one of Trump's most vocal detractors during the primaries, and reiterated his plan to not vote for Trump following the tape release. "The actions of the last day are disgusting, but that’s not why I reached this decision, it has been an accumulation of his words and actions that many have been warning about," he said in a statement.
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Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was very, very clear about where she stood on the election after the tapes were released. "I cannot and will not support Donald Trump for president," she tweeted. "He has forfeited the right to be our party’s nominee."
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Former Utah governor and presidential candidate Jon Huntsman added his name to the anti-Trump list in October. "In a campaign cycle that has been nothing but a race to the bottom — at such a critical moment for our nation — and with so many who have tried to be respectful of a record primary vote, the time has come for Governor Pence to lead the ticket," Huntsman told The Salt Lake Tribune.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune, one of Mitch McConnell's right hand men, has gone on record saying that Mike Pence should immediately replace Trump as the top of the Republican presidential ticket.
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From Jeb Bush to Glenn Beck, the Trump campaign has prompted many right-wing politicians and pundits to break rank with the GOP

While many major Republican figures like Mitch McConnell and John Boehner have towed the party line and pledged their support to Donald Trump, there are some who refuse to back him -- even if it means that Hillary Clinton will become the next President. In the wake of Trump's "grab her" tapes, that list has grown even further Here are some notable names who see Trump as an opponent to conservative values.

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