George W. Bush Camp Quietly Positions Itself for Post-Trump GOP Influence

Former President George W. Bush and key figures from his political network are laying out plans to reenter Republican politics in a significant way once President Donald Trump leaves office in 2029, according to a new report.

🚨Report: The Bush family is planning to reclaim control of the Republican Party when the Trump presidency comes to an end pic.twitter.com/u69kfKaRdf

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) November 21, 2025

Since departing the White House, Bush has remained largely outside day-to-day political activity.

He has spent most of his time in Texas, where he has focused on charity events, golf, and sports.

Aside from campaigning for his brother Jeb Bush during the 2016 Republican presidential primary, he has offered few public comments on President Trump or ongoing political disputes.

Bush has criticized what he has called “nativism,” but has otherwise stayed away from policy fights.

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In recent months, though, Bush’s public visibility has increased.

Former supporters have encouraged him to become more active.

During a recent MSNBC appearance, former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said, “President Bush, please man, we could use your voice right now,” adding that Bush has “a voice that would resonate with a lot more Americans than some folks around you are telling you.”

A Daily Mail report says Bush’s circle has long believed they would have to “ride out” Trump’s second term before attempting to influence the party again.

The report states that “rumors are stirring of a plot to end the so-called ‘Bush Exile’ and take back the GOP from the so-called scourge of Trumpism.”

The outlet reported: “Behind the scenes, and still with deep connections around the country, a shadow Republican Party is lying in wait to take over when Trump is gone. And, while the former president is determined not to publicly criticize Trump – much to the frustration of some of his former aides – he may not be averse to quietly helping to shape the Republican Party’s long-term future.”

I would not be so quick to say that. pic.twitter.com/guIWl2g7au

— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) November 21, 2025

A source described as a former Bush official told the Daily Mail that President Trump “knows that there’s no third term option,” while acknowledging that Vice President J.D. Vance “has a head start” over potential rivals for 2028.

Polling for months has shown Vance with a substantial advantage over any other possible Republican contenders.

Despite Vance’s early lead, the same former Bush official predicted “there will be a big open field within the Republican Party” in 2028.

During Trump’s initial rise in the 2016 primary, he repeatedly criticized Bush’s foreign policy record and his handling of the war on terror.

Bush appeared occasionally during Trump’s first term to offer public comments, including in 2019, when he said during a policy discussion with former President Bill Clinton that Trump’s “isolationist” direction was destabilizing global affairs.

In a 2021 interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, Bush said he believed Trump “lacked the ‘humility’ necessary to be an effective leader.”