Former US President George W. Bush said the Republican Party has become “isolationist, protectionist and, to some extent, nativist,” adding that he is particularly concerned about anti-immigrant rhetoric.
“We have a beautiful country, but it’s not beautiful when we condemn, insult people and scare people about immigration,” Bush told NBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday.
The former Republican president, who was in New York to preside over a naturalization ceremony, said his new book, “Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants” seeks to “elevate the discourse.”
Bush did not mention Trump, who drastically reduced legal and illegal immigration during his tenure and tried to build a wall on the border with Mexico.
FORMER PRESIDENT BUSH DID NOT MENTION TRUMP
Trump, also a Republican, denigrated immigrants, calling them invaders and “illegal aliens” and, as a candidate, he referred to Mexicans as “rapists.”
But Trump has dominated the Republican Party, even after leaving the White House.
Last week, a group of far-right Republican congressmen discussed forming a caucus to defend “Anglo-Saxon political traditions” and warned that mass immigration was endangering the “unique identity” of the United States.
When asked to describe the state of the party, Bush said: “I would describe it as isolationist, protectionist and, to some extent, nativist.”
He added: “It is not exactly my vision as an old man, but I am just a retired old man.”