Overview
- Jacob Weisberg made the claim in his new book Profiles in Cowardice and in an interview reported Tuesday, saying George W. Bush privately painted a “really ugly” portrait of President Trump and will not show it to others.
- Weisberg told The Intelligencer that Bush channels his political feelings into painting as a form of “art therapy” rather than publicly naming or criticizing the president.
- The author argues that that public silence can be a form of enabling and specifically accuses Trump of having “dismantled USAID,” a change Weisberg says threatens PEPFAR, the global HIV/AIDS program Bush helped create.
- Reporting so far relies on Weisberg’s account in the book and interview; the existence of the portrait and the claims have not been independently verified and there is no public response from Bush.
- Coverage has been picked up by multiple outlets with left-leaning editorial lines, and the dispute raises broader questions about ex-presidential norms, the protection of policy legacies like PEPFAR, and whether former presidents should speak out.