Former President George W. Bush said he recently encouraged his younger brother Jeb Bush to run for president in 2016 during a private conversation at an event honoring veterans, the Associated Press reported. However, he stressed that the former Florida governor had not made a definite decision yet.
"I think he wants to be President, I think he'd be a great President," Bush told "FOX & Friends" on Thursday at the opening of a golf tournament the former president hosts for U.S. service members.
"He and I had a conversation. I, of course, was pushing for him to run for president. He, of course, was saying, 'I haven't made up my mind,'" the 43rd president said. "I truly don't think he has, and plus I don't think he liked it that his older brother was pushing him."
"He understands what it's like to be President ... he's seen his dad, he's seen his brother. He's a very thoughtful man and he's weighing his options."
Seven years since leaving the Florida governor's mansion, many of Jeb Bush's Republican confidantes are urging him to enter the 2016 presidential race, with top Republican fundraisers and strategists being encouraged to hold back on committing to other candidates.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Jeb Bush outlined the factors he is considering before making a decision, which he expects to do by the end of the year, CBS News reported.
"It's related to whether it's the right thing for my family, and whether I can do it with joy in my heart," he said while in a Texas campaign with his son, George P. Bush, who is running for Texas land commissioner (and expected to win).
In Thursday's interview, Bush also weighed in on other topics, including the threat of the Islamic State, his relationships with Bill Clinton and President Obama, and the change in leadership at the Secret Service, OnPolitics reported.
"The President has to make the choices he thinks are important. I'm not going to second guess our President. I understand how tough the job is. To have a former President bloviating or second guessing, I don't think is good for the presidency or the country. He and his team will make the best informed decisions they can make."
