Who Will Speak at George H.W. Bush's Funeral? Donald Trump Is Invited But Won't Deliver Eulogy
President Donald Trump will attend the funeral of former President George H.W. Bush on Wednesday, but the commander in chief will not deliver a eulogy.
The New York Times reported this was an apparent compromise of sorts, given the tensions between the Trump and Bush families. The planned speakers on Wednesday are former President George W. Bush, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, former Senator Alan Simpson and author Jon Meacham, who wrote Bush's biography, according to the report.
Trump sent his respects to the Bush family via Twitter, writing not long after Bush's death Friday at the age of 94: "President George H.W. Bush led a long, successful and beautiful life. Whenever I was with him I saw his absolute joy for life and true pride in his family. His accomplishments were great from beginning to end. He was a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all!"
President George H.W. Bush led a long, successful and beautiful life. Whenever I was with him I saw his absolute joy for life and true pride in his family. His accomplishments were great from beginning to end. He was a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 1, 2018
In a post on Monday, Trump indicated he planned to attend the funeral, tweeting: "Looking forward to being with the Bush Family to pay my respects to President George H.W. Bush."
A number of events and memorials are planned to honor the 41st president this week in both Texas and Washington, D.C. All living presidents were expected to attend Bush's funeral in Washington, according to CNN.
Bush will be laid to rest in Texas next to his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush, who died in April.
"A couple days after Mrs. Bush passed away, he went into the hospital, and we thought, You know, he's just dying of a broken heart," David Valdez, Bush's official photographer, told ABC News. "And I think these seven or eight months later, there's some of that there. They were so in love."
