George H. W. Bush

=== Final years ===
[[File:Five Presidents Oval Office.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|From left to right: George H.&nbsp;W. Bush, [[Barack Obama]], [[George W. Bush]], [[Bill Clinton]], and [[Jimmy Carter]]]]

Bush supported Republican [[John McCain]] in the 2008 presidential election,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/18/AR2008021800930.html |title=George H. W. Bush Endorses McCain for President |date=February 18, 2008 |access-date=March 28, 2008 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> and Republican [[Mitt Romney]] in the 2012 presidential election,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/George-HW-Bush-endorses-Romney/52521333006200/ |title=George H.W. Bush endorses Romney |date=March 29, 2012 |work=United Press International}}</ref> but both were defeated by Democrat [[Barack Obama]]. In 2011, Obama awarded Bush with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the highest civilian honor in the United States.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=598}}

Bush supported his son Jeb's bid in the [[2016 Republican Party presidential primaries|2016 Republican primaries]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/11/bush-father-son-want-jeb-bush-white-house/18873307/ |title=Bush father, son want Jeb Bush to run for White House |date=November 11, 2014 |newspaper=The Arizona Republic}}</ref> Jeb Bush's campaign struggled, however, and he withdrew from the race during the primaries. Neither George H.&nbsp;W. nor George W. Bush endorsed the eventual Republican nominee, [[Donald Trump]];<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/05/05/george-w-bush-trump-former-presidents/83962432/ |title=Bush 41, 43 won't be endorsing Trump |first=Eliza |last=Collins |newspaper=USA Today}}</ref> all three Bushes emerged as frequent critics of Trump's policies and speaking style, while Trump frequently criticized George W. Bush's presidency. George H.&nbsp;W. later said he voted for the Democratic nominee, [[Hillary Clinton]], in the general election.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/11/04/both-bush-presidents-openly-condemned-trump-book-claims-one-even-voted-for-clinton/ |title=White House attacks legacies of both Bush presidents after reports they refused to vote for Trump |last=Selk |first=Avi |date=November 4, 2017 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=November 4, 2017}}</ref> After the election, Bush wrote a letter to President-elect Donald Trump in January 2017 to inform him that because of his poor health, he would not be able to attend [[Inauguration of Donald Trump|Trump's inauguration]] on January 20; he gave him his best wishes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Garcia |first1=Feliks |title=George HW Bush sends personal note to Donald Trump on why he can't attend inauguration |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/george-hw-bush-donald-trump-inauguration-letter-president-attendance-a7534221.html |access-date=January 18, 2017 |work=The Independent |date=January 18, 2017}}</ref>

In August 2017, after the violence at [[Unite the Right rally]] in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]], both presidents Bush released a joint statement saying, "America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms[. ...] As we pray for Charlottesville, we are all reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city's most prominent citizen in the Declaration of Independence: we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4903103/george-bush-president-statement-hatred-charlottesville/|title= Both Presidents Bush Condemn Hatred a Day After Trump's Press Conference|magazine= [[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date= May 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/16/16156738/george-hw-bush-george-w-bush-statement-charlottesville-trump|title= Presidents George Bush and G.W. Bush issue joint statement condemning racism and anti-Semitism|website= [[Vox (website)|Vox]]|date= August 16, 2017|access-date= May 3, 2020}}</ref>

On April 17, 2018, Barbara Bush died at the age of 92<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nemy |first1=Enid |title=Barbara Bush, Wife of 41st President and Mother of 43rd, Dies at 92 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/us/barbara-bush-dead.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220102/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/us/barbara-bush-dead.html |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 17, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> at her home in Houston, Texas. Her funeral was held at [[St. Martin's Episcopal Church (Houston)|St. Martin's Episcopal Church]] in Houston four days later.<ref name="houstonchroniclebushfamilyreleases">{{cite news|last1=Kamath|first1=Tulsi|title=Bush family releases details on Barbara Bush's funeral, public visitation|url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Funeral-information-for-Barbara-Bush-has-been-12842950.php|access-date=April 18, 2018|work=Houston Chronicle|date=April 17, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Linge|first1=Mary Kay|title=Presidents pay their respects as Barbara Bush is laid to rest|url=https://nypost.com/2018/04/21/presidents-pay-their-respects-as-barbara-bush-is-laid-to-rest/|access-date=April 21, 2018|work=New York Post|date=April 21, 2018}}</ref> Bush, along with former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush (son), Bill Clinton and First Ladies [[Melania Trump]], [[Michelle Obama]], [[Laura Bush]] (daughter-in-law) and Hillary Clinton attended the funeral and posed together for a photo as a sign of unity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/barbara-bush-funeral-today-trump-melania-presidents/story?id=54630500|title=Barbara Bush remembered at funeral as 'the first lady of the greatest generation'|work=ABC News|first=Morgan|last=Winsor|date=April 21, 2018|access-date=April 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/23/politics/presidents-picture-barbara-bush-funeral-photographer/index.html|title= The story behind that viral photo of the past 4 presidents all in the same place|publisher= [[CNN]]|date= April 23, 2018|access-date= May 8, 2020}}</ref>

On November 1, 2018, Bush went to the polls to vote early in the midterm elections. This would be his final public appearance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/politics/george-hw-bush-final-public-appearance-voting/|title= George H.W. Bush Was Last Seen in Public 1 Month Before Death — and It Was to Vote with His Dog|website= [[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date= May 8, 2020}}</ref>