Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush seem like they should have been born friends: their husbands were both Republicans, Ronald Reagan was considered one of America's "greatest presidents," and George Herbert Walker Bush (Sr.) served as Reagan's deputy for eight years, then took over as president for four years, and was the founder of the "Bush dynasty. "George Herbert Walker Bush (Sr.) was Reagan's deputy for eight years, then took over as president for four years, and was the founder of the Bush dynasty, a political family. Nancy is only four years older than Barbara, both were born in New York, both went to Smith College in Massachusetts, it seems logical that they should "live in harmony".
However, USA Today's chief correspondent in Washington, author Susan Page's newly published "Patriarchs - Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty" reveals that the two White House matriarchs' "jealousy and hatred" of each other has reached the point of incompatibility. The two White House matriarchs' "envy and jealousy" of each other has reached the point of no return. A party hosted by the British Crown Prince Charles and his wife became a flashpoint for conflict.
The party fiasco
On November 9, 1985, a banquet for Prince Charles and Princess Diana was held at the White House. During the eight years of the Reagan administration, the party was the hottest in Washington social circles, and everyone wanted to have a dinner with the gorgeous "Princess Di".
The White House protocol officer wrote down the Bush's when drawing up the VIP list. As the vice presidential couple, it seemed only natural that they would attend the banquet and the welcome ceremony in the White House Red Room. However, both lists were crossed out with a pen. The protocol officer filled in the names on the alternate list again. However, the names on the waiting list were crossed out again.
Then White House Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Devereaux was surprised to find Nancy, who had decided the list, and told her that it was not quite in keeping with protocol, since Bush Sr. was the "second in command". Nancy looked at him coldly and said, "Do as I say."
The dinner was packed with celebrities. Action movie star John Travolta and Princess Diana danced together in the ballroom, the latter in a blue dress, graceful. Guests included ballerinas, astronauts, painters and architects, even Reagan's daughter came, but the vice president and his wife did not get an invitation.
In fact, Reagan and Bush Sr. have never been close to each other. According to Peggy's account, Reagan was president for eight years, only once or twice invited Bush Sr. to his living quarters in the White House. That was after Bush Sr. had been elected president, and Reagan, as the old president, briefed the new president on the White House. They also never invited the elder Bushes to go on vacation together at Camp David.
Of course, there are rules for formal state dinners to which the vice presidential couple must be invited, and Nancy sends out invitations as required. But a White House dinner like the one for the Charleses is a different matter, according to Nancy. Peggy once interviewed Bush Sr. and asked him directly why Nancy hated his wife so much. Bush Sr. sighed and said, "I don't know, I really don't know."
Deep knot
In Peggy's view, there was a political element to Nancy and Barbara's conflict. Reagan and Bush Sr. were rivals during the party primaries in the 1980 presidential election. Although the two later became allies, but the wives of the two sides can not do like husbands after a fight and hook up, but always make out.
On the one hand, Nancy, who comes from a civilian family, is always a little unsure and uncomfortable in the face of Barbara's status as a famous family. Barbara's ancestors were 16 years old on the "Mayflower" to North America Henry Samson, and an ancestor who participated in the War of Independence, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and other celebrities are related, is a pure bloodline, one of the long history of the United States family. Nancy, an actress, is seen by the American public as the archetypal woman who "made it to the top". As the first lady, Nancy has a feeling for the second lady, Barbara.
Nancy disliked Barbara, thinking she had an average image and was not fashionable in her clothes. She was also jealous of Barbara's confident personality, social status and warm and close family. Barbara and Bush Sr. had six children, one president and two governors, and the children and their parents were all on good terms. Reagan had four children, including a daughter Maureen with his ex-wife, an adopted son Mike, and two children with Nancy. However, Reagan's children are known for their "daddy issues", especially daughter Patty, who was an "opponent" of her father and openly attacked Reagan's administration. Reagan got Alzheimer's disease in his later years, the children did not care about him, only Maureen still help stepmother to take care of her father. Therefore, Barbara could not see Nancy's failure in dealing with family issues and felt that she could not even manage her children.
On the other hand, Barbara appreciates Nancy's good figure. Peggy said that Barbara's mother had always been very critical of her weight, and it had become a lifelong problem for her. In her diary, the first thing she said about a woman was whether she was slim or not. Barbara also appreciated Nancy and Reagan's love for each other. When Nancy died in 1996, Barbara sent a brief statement saying that Nancy loved Reagan and that "we are relieved that they are reunited.
In 1989, on the eve of Bush Sr.'s inauguration, Barbara wrote in her diary that I would never treat Mrs. Quayle (who was vice president during Bush Sr.'s administration) the way Nancy Reagan treated me. After returning home, the relationship between the two families also dropped to the lowest point. Peggy said that Nancy called Barbara that day, but Barbara "pretended not to be there". When Nancy called again the next day, Barbara "reluctantly" answered the phone. Nancy said, "I know what it's like to pack your bags and go home. It's a tough time ......" Barbara interrupted her and said "everything is fine".
Barbara recalled to Peggy: "I told her (Nancy) that our friends and family had arranged a welcome home and that they had packed our bags for us. What made things difficult were the things she told the media. She said she just wanted to explain, and I told her to stop." Earlier, Nancy had some unkind comments about Bush's family in an interview with ABC, and a reporter blocked Barbara's door and asked her if what Nancy said was true. Barbara said, "She hurt me in a way that I simply cannot understand." Later, Barbara showed Peggy the diary she had kept that year: "I didn't say anything. Because she didn't thank us for the hospitality, I didn't think I wanted to play her game anymore." Months later, still exasperated, Barbara wrote in her diary, "She [Nancy] and I haven't spoken, but I feel better."
"Blue-blooded aristocrat"
Barbara is a pretty powerful person who sometimes speaks without mercy.
In 2010, she talked about former Alaska governor Ms. Sarah Palin in an interview. Palin had paired with Senator McCain for president in 2008, when it was rumored that she was again considering running in the 2012 election, and Jeb Bush, the second son of George Bush Sr. and former governor of Florida, was also interested in running at that time. Barbara and Palin are actually distant relatives, but she nonchalantly mocked Palin, saying, "I sat next to her once. She's beautiful, and I think she loves Alaska, and I hope she's better off just staying there." Palin was so angry that she called her a "blue-blooded aristocrat" from on high.
Barbara has never been impressed with President Donald Trump. When Trump and his first wife divorced, Barbara showed the news clippings to a friend. At the time, Trump's ex-wife complained that the $25 million (about 168 million yuan) breakup fee wasn't enough. Barbara said, "The Trump two are really fresh. The name Trump now means greed, selfishness and ugliness."
In 2016, Trump and Jeb Bush became rivals in the election campaign. Trump was so critical of the Bush family that Barbara said she had a heart attack from anger. She said she even thought about whether she would still want to be a Republican. Months before she died, she was asked if she still considered herself a Republican, and she said, "I would probably say 'no' today."
Before voting day in the 2016 election, Barbara wrote a letter welcoming former President Bill Clinton to the "Presidential Spouses Club." When she woke up, she was shocked: the winner was not Clinton's wife, Hillary, but Trump. She later kept a red, white and blue electronic clock above her bed, showing the time left in Trump's term. Until her death, she kept this gift given in jest by family and friends.
However, Barbara still did her part as the wife of the former Republican president. After Trump's election, Mrs. Melania had been hesitant to move into the White House, considering her son's studies. At the time, American public opinion was quite skeptical about her ability to do her duty as first lady. Barbara wrote to her, encouraging her to look out for her own interests and those of her young son, Barron. Melania later moved to Washington officially only after her children finished elementary school. After Barbara's death, Melania attended her funeral, which was seen as a sign of reconciliation between the Bush and Trump families.
Peggy recently said during an appearance on a talk show that she asked a question to many of her interviewees: "Could Bush Sr. have been president if he hadn't married Barbara?" People of Bush Sr.'s generation generally said, "Yes, he would have been president anyway. But the younger they are, the more they see them as indispensable to each other. "I also asked Barbara, and she immediately said, 'Absolutely, he's destined to do all the things he's done. Then I asked Bush Sr. and he thought for a moment and said, 'Yes, I think I'm going to be president.' I think they were both wrong, and it was their rare closeness (that made him successful).
