Trump Responds to Barbara Bush Criticism: ‘Look at What I Did to Her Sons’

President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters on Capitol Hill in Wash., on March 26, 2019. Leah Millis via Reuters

President Donald Trump reacted to statements made by former first lady Barbara Bush, who died a year ago, after she criticized his candidacy and presidency.

“I have heard that she was nasty to me, but she should be. Look what I did to her sons,” Trump told the Washington Times.

His remarks came after Bush described Trump as a “symbol of greed” in biography, “The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of a Dynasty,” penned by Susan Page.

Former first lady Barbara Bush attends day two of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota on Sept. 2, 2008. Scott Olson/Getty Images

“Trump now means greed, selfishness and ugly. So sad,” she wrote in a diary, according to the book. She became increasingly critical of Trump after he criticized former President George W. Bush for his decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and former Gov. Jeb Bush, whom Trump famously disparaged as “low energy” as they contended for the 2016 presidency.

“Look, she’s the mother of somebody that I competed against,” Trump told the newspaper. “Most people thought he [Jeb Bush] was going to win and he was quickly out.”

Jeb Bush dropped out of the presidential race in South Carolina. “I hit him very hard in South Carolina,” Trump told the Times. “Remember? He was supposed to win South Carolina and I won it in a landslide. I hit him so hard.”

Former President George H.W. Bush acknowledges the crowd at his presidential library before his son former President George W. Bush discusses his new book "41: A Portrait of My Father" in College Station, Texas, in this file photo. Bob Daemmrich/Texas Tribune via AP, Pool, File

“That’s when his brother came to make the first speech for him,” Trump added, referring to former President Bush. “And I said, ‘What took you so long?’”

Page’s book noted that Bush’s scorn for Trump apparently went back decades.

Following the death of former President George H.W. Bush, Trump met with George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush.

“A sweet visit during this somber week,” Laura Bush said in December. “Thanks to Mrs. Trump for inviting our family to the White House to see the Christmas decorations and our old friends, the residence staff.”

Former first lady Laura Bush and former President George W. Bush greet first lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump outside of Blair House December 04, 2018 in Washington, DC. The Trumps were paying a condolence visit to the Bush family who are in Washington for former President George H.W. Bush’s state funeral and related honors. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Weighing Mexico Penalties

Meanwhile, on April 5, Trump said he is weighing an economic penalty in addition to tariffs to counter the smuggling of drugs from Mexico into the United States.

“Likewise I am looking at an economic penalty for the 500 Billion Dollars in illegal DRUGS that are shipped and smuggled through Mexico and across our Southern Border,” he wrote on Twitter.

Vehicles from Mexico and the U.S. approach a border crossing in El Paso, Texas, on April 1, 2019. Cedar Attanasio/AP Photo

Trump is slated to leave the White House for a trip along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“If for any reason Mexico stops apprehending and bringing the illegals back to where they came from, the U.S. will be forced to Tariff at 25% all cars made in Mexico and shipped over the Border to us. If that doesn’t work, which it will, I will close the Border,” Trump also wrote on April 5. “This will supersede USMCA.”