Barbara Bush blamed Trump for 'angst,' new book reveals
ST. PAUL, MN - SEPTEMBER 02: Former first lady Barbara Bush attends day two of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Xcel Energy Center on September 2, 2008 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Barbara Bush says Donald Trump caused her "angst" during the 2016 election and led her to question whether she was still a Republican in the months before she died.
The late former first lady's thoughts about Trump were revealed in excerpts published Wednesday in USA Today of an upcoming biography, "The Matriarch."
In a February 2018 interview, Bush was asked if she still considered herself a Republican. She replied, "I'd probably say 'no' today."
She died in April at age 92.
Bush recalls drafting a funny letter to mail after the election congratulating Bill Clinton on becoming a presidential spouse. But Bush said when she woke up, she realized "to my horror that Trump had won."
A friend gave Bush a clock that counted down the time remaining in Trump's first term that she kept at her bedside.