Bush Says G.O.P. Has Become ‘to Some Degree Nativist’

The former president also assailed the Trump-era Republican Party as “isolationist, protectionist,” and expressed concern about the fate of girls in Afghanistan if the Taliban take over.

Former President George W. Bush stepped back into the political fray on Tuesday with a pointed rebuke of the Trump-era Republican Party, putting aside his usual silence on politics to air his unhappiness with the party’s direction on issues including immigration and trade. “I would describe it as isolationist, protectionist and, to a certain extent, nativist,” Mr. Bush said in an interview on NBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday, after he was asked to assess the state of the party. Mr. Bush had been careful to keep a relatively low profile in recent years, but he has re-emerged to promote a new book of oil paintings and vignettes celebrating the contributions of prominent immigrants, in hopes, he said, of “elevating” the discourse.