(CNN) In an interview that aired Thursday with the Texas Tribune's Evan Smith, one thing about George W. Bush was: He is fundamentally at odds with the current version of the Republican Party on virtually every front. On whether the 2020 election was stolen, as former President Donald Trump (and many of his allies in Congress) continue to insist, Bush had a one-word answer: "No." On Trump's takeover of the GOP, Bush was dismissive: "History and the United States has shown these populist movements begin to fritter over time, and so I'm optimistic about democracy." On immigration, Bush rejected the approach adopted by Trump to weaponize the issue during his 2016 campaign ("Build the wall!") "There needs to be an overhaul, which means that we need to get politics out of the system and get sober-minded people focusing on a) what's best for our economy and b) what's best for our country," he said.

Source: CNN March 19, 2021 16:41 UTC