The Bush family reportedly wants a funeral for former president George H.W. Bush that avoids anti-President Donald Trump sentiment.
The report comes after anti-Trump rhetoric was rampant during the funeral of Sen. John McCain several months ago.
Trump did not attend McCain’s funeral.
The president and First Lady Melania Trump plan to attend Bush’s funeral, likely with other members of Trump’s family and administration, to honor the 41st president of the United States.
The funeral is slated to take place on Dec. 5 in Washington at 11 a.m. After the funeral, the casket bearing the former president will be taken to Houston, Texas, for a viewing. Bush will be buried at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum after a ceremony at the Texas A&M University on Dec. 6.
Funeral Preparations
Some close to the Bush family said that the funeral would focus on Bush, not Trump.
“If anybody at anytime knew anything about the 41st president of the United States, they would completely and totally understand that he would welcome the current occupant 100 percent,” said an aide in the office of the former president told Politico. “This is the way the country says goodbye to presidents.”
A close friend of the former president added that the Bush family is “unbelievably respectful of the office of the president” and the funeral “is not a political event.”
A third person, a former staffer for Bush, said that the family appreciates Trump attending the funeral.
“This will be about the celebration of the noble public service that George H.W. Bush gave. It’s not going to be about anybody else. I don’t think it’s going to be about Trump,” said the senior Bush White House staffer.
A source told the Washington Post that the Bush family contacted the White House in the summer to say Trump would be welcome at the funeral and that the focus would be on Bush’s life, not on the Bush family’s disagreements with the president. Trump will not deliver a eulogy. He’ll be seated in the front row alongside former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter.
#Remembering41 pic.twitter.com/9xbFYlZzNs
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2018
Trumps Visit Casket
Trump has praised and honored the elder Bush, arranging for Air Force One to transport Bush’s body to the nation’s Capitol and visiting the casket on Monday night.
The president and his wife stood in front of the casket with their eyes closed before the 45th president saluted the casket and the pair exited the rotunda at the U.S. Capitol. Trump posted a video of the welcoming ceremony on his Twitter feed, and it’s received millions of views.
Bush’s body will be taken to the National Cathedral on Wednesday morning by motorcade.
Trump ordered federal offices closed on Wednesday for a national day of mourning.
“President George H.W. Bush led a life that exemplified what is truly great about America. As with so many of his generation, the Greatest Generation, President Bush worked selflessly throughout his long life to bring about a world of justice and lasting peace. With his passing, we mark one of the last pages of a defining chapter in American history,” he wrote in a statement sent to Congress.
“Fearless, courageous, adventurous, and unyielding, through the highs and lows of the twentieth century and into the next millennium, President Bush served his nation, creating an example that will inspire generations for decades to come.”
