George W. Bush Slams 'Bigotry,' Politics Of Populism That Led To Trump, Sanders

In remarks Thursday, he criticized the kind of politics, sentiment and populism that led to President Trump's rise and election — though he never named Trump explicitly.

"Bigotry seems emboldened," Bush said in New York at a forum put on by the George W. Bush Institute. "Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication."

He slammed a discourse that seems "degraded by casual cruelty," disagreement that "escalates into dehumanization" and a "nationalism distorted into nativism."

Bush, however, also criticized the kind of liberal populism that led to Bernie Sanders' rise on the left.

"There are some signs that the intensity of support for democracy itself has waned, especially among the young who never experienced the galvanizing moral clarity of the Cold War or never focused on the ruin of entire nations by Socialist central planning," Bush said. "Some have called that democratic deconsolidation. Merely it seems to be a combination of weariness, frayed tempers and forgetfulness."

After leaving office, the 43rd president mostly stayed out of politics. He was unpopular and was being replaced by someone whose election could have been seen as a rebuke to his presidency. Former President Barack Obama, his successor of a different party, had a very different worldview than did Bush, and Obama ran largely against Bush.

But Bush, who didn't vote for Trump — instead opting to leave the presidential line blank — is stepping back into the spotlight and looking to take hold of the conversation around what America means at this moment.

"Americans have great advantage," Bush said. "To renew our country, we only need to remember our values."

Here's a transcript of Bush's remarks: - NPR

George W. Bush Slams 'Bigotry,' Politics Of Populism That Led To Trump, Sanders