It sometimes seems the Bush family is out to cripple the Trump presidency. But not all of them. Smarter and more politically savvy than his relatives, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, son of former Florida governor and losing presidential candidate Jeb Bush and nephew of former president George W. Bush (yeah, that’s called a dynasty), is strongly backing President Trump for reelection. Apparently, the young man wants a future in the GOP.

Though referencing the past, his dad says he’s not sure about voting for Trump and his uncle Dubya, reported by The New York Times and this publication, supposedly said he was not going to vote for Trump. However, after those reports came out, a Bush 43 spox said, “President Bush is retired from presidential politics and has not indicated how he will vote.” His nephew feels quite differently.

Close

The land commissioner said on Tuesday, “President Trump is the only thing standing between America and socialism… It’s clear, Republican policies are working.” He added, “Even in a global pandemic where we have had to take unprecedented measures to protect public health, the economy is already returning. It’s clear, America and Texas will continue to be stronger than ever.”

Though Texas conservatives have criticized George P. Bush for planning to alter the historical presentation at the famed Alamo shrine and make it a PC destination, this move by the only Bush currently holding public office should sit well with them. President Trump is known to be fond of this younger Bush, calling him the “only Bush that likes me” and the “Bush that got it right.” The president has been effusive in his praise of the Texas pol: “I like him…he’s a friend of my son and he’s a great guy.” Bush, the president said, “is going far, he’s going places.”

The latest incarnation of one of the greatest political dynasties in American history reflects the changing face of the Republican Party itself. Trump has transformed the GOP from a DC-sponsored operation into a populist juggernaut that has turned the tables on the Democrats. With policies that favorably affect traditional Democrats’ constituencies like the white working class and minorities, Trump has stolen Democrat thunder on issues ranging from trade to justice reform to national security. But he has kept the faith on immigration, economics, and defense, thus holding his base while at the same time expanding it. It is a classic example of the old political maxim of “holding them by the nose while you kick them in the ass.”

George P. Bush can see the party changing and, as he wants a political future likely far past the confines of Texas, is going with the flow. Though, if the president loses in November it will be interesting to see how many on-the-make elected officials and other Trump fair-weather pals will run for the exits, all the while claiming they really never supported him in the first place.

That is a deceasing possibility, because as numbers look right now (the real numbers, not the ones shown to the media) the president, if the economy continues to improve, is a good bet for reelection. That should keep this latest Bush up and comer just how the president wants him: Tame.