George W. Bush’s office calls claim he won’t back Trump ‘completely made up’

Former President George W. Bush’s office has pushed back on a widely circulated New York Times report saying Bush won’t vote for President Trump in 2020, calling it “completely made up.”

"This is completely made up," Bush spokesman Freddy Ford said in an email to the Texas Tribune. "He is retired from presidential politics and has not indicated how he will vote."

The New York Times, citing sources familiar with the former president’s thinking, recently reported Bush wouldn’t support Trump’s reelection. But while George W. Bush didn’t vote for Trump in 2016, his spokesman said this week that the Times report was false.

The Times report also said Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida and former Trump opponent, isn’t sure how he’ll vote and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, won’t vote for Trump either.

The former president’s nephew and Jeb’s son, George P. Bush, came out in support of President Trump this week. George P. Bush is the only member of his family to currently hold office, as the Texas land commissioner.

GEORGE P. BUSH, TEXAS LAND COMMISSIONER AND SON OF JEB, WILL VOTE FOR TRUMP

Trump has been a vocal critic of both Bush and Romney for years and has regularly feuded with Romney. Trump criticized Bush earlier this year for being "nowhere to be found" during his impeachment trial, although he had himself backed calls for Bush’s impeachment.

At the same time, Bush administration Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Sunday he “cannot in any way support” Trump and will vote for Joe Biden.

TRUMP SHRUGS OFF COLIN POWELL'S SUPPORT FOR BIDEN 

“I certainly cannot, in any way, support President Trump this year,” Powell said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We have a Constitution and we have to follow that Constitution and the president has drifted away from it.”

Powell voted twice for President Barack Obama and backed Hillary Clinton in 2016.

The withering criticism of Trump by his own former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the admission by Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska that she is “struggling” with whether to vote for the sitting president of her own party have only increased the speculation that Trump could see a large mutiny on establishment Republicans in the general election.

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Still, the president enjoys the support of Republican leaders in Congress – like Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina – as well as the backing of former rivals like Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Fox News' Andrew O'Reilly contributed to this report. 

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