How Strange Is It for Former Presidents to Criticize the Current One?
Presidential historian Jeffrey Engel says this kind of criticism is unprecedented in modern times.
The five living former presidents appeared together recently to help with hurricane relief efforts.
But that’s not the only thing that has brought the three Democrats and two Republicans together.
There also seems to be a shared unhappiness with the current president and the direction he is taking the country.
Last week, both President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush spoke out — without naming President Trump directly — against his worldview and his political approach.
It also didn’t seem like coincidental timing. It seemed like the messages were coordinated.
How strange is this to see former presidents so clearly criticize a current one — let alone a president of the same party?
Jeffrey Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University, joins Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson to talk about this and provide some historical context.
Engel is the author of the upcoming book, “When the World Seemed New: George H.W. Bush and the End of the Cold War.”
Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.
