Statement from Thirteen Presidential Foundations for Liberty and Representative Government

The foundations that manage the presidential libraries of thirteen former Presidents of the United States have issued an unprecedented joint statement about strengthening liberty and representative government in the face of current challenges: Strengthening our Democracy | George W. Bush Presidential Center (bushcenter.org). The statement in support of pluralism, civility and American leadership in promoting freedom abroad, which it recognizes as beneficial to U.S. security, is recognized as an implicit reference to the threat from Trumpism. Led by the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the foundations of every President from Herbert Hoover to Barack Obama, with the sole exception of the foundation for Dwight Eisenhower, signed the extraordinary statement, thus including those of every living former President, who personally approved the statement, except Donald Trump. The former Presidents included Republicans, Democrats, liberals, moderates and conservatives. The foundations were created by federal legislation in 1955, starting with the former living Presidents at the time, making Hoover’s the one for the earliest President. The George W. Bush Presidential Center has been particularly active in promoting human rights, including in a bipartisan manner. As I have posted, Trumpism is a populist mix of protectionism, nativism, isolationism, dishonesty, corruption, disloyalty, cruelty and authoritarianism, all of which are anathema to conservatism. The authoritarianism was manifest in violations of the principles of judicial independence, the rule of law, the separation of powers, and States’ rights, as well as undermining American leadership on human rights.