Without Speaking His Name, George W. Goes After Trump

George W. Bush didn't say Donald Trump's name when he appeared at a Jeb rally in South Carolina Monday night, but everybody knew who he was talking about with references to "bluster" and "theatrics" during his 20-minute speech. "Americans are angry and frustrated, but we do not need someone in the Oval Office who mirrors and inflames our frustration," the former president told the North Charleston audience, per the Washington Post. "Strength is not empty rhetoric. It is not bluster. It is not theatrics. Real strength, strength of purpose, comes from integrity and character." He added that in his experience, "the strongest person isn't usually the loudest one in the room."

Trump slammed both Bush brothers during Saturday night's debate and he kept it up on Monday at a press conference just a few miles away from their rally, doubling down on his argument that George W. didn't keep America safe, Politico reports. "What about during 9/11? I was there. I lost a lot of friends that were killed in that building," he said, adding that saying Bush kept the US safe is like saying "the team scored 19 runs in the first inning, but after that we did well." The Post reports that Dick Cheney defended George W. in a Monday night Fox interview. "I was in the White House bunker all day helping coordinate, manage our response to 9/11," he said. "I didn't see Donald Trump there." (Trump is threatening to sue Ted Cruz over "false ads.")