President Donald Toddler‘s war against the media—virtually every outlet of which he’s deemed fake news, save for the “irreproachable” Breitbart and Fox News—will be fought with one less Republican on its side. Former president and current Bob Ross wannabe George W. Bush doesn’t think No. 45 should be so quick to attack journalism (yes, the institution, not just the individual reporters). Bush the younger had a contentious relationship with the media during his administration, but he appears to have mellowed with age, to the point that he not only enjoys playing with ponchos in the rain, but he believes that the fourth estate keeps the government honest.
In an interview with Today, Bush said an independent press is vital to a democracy, admitting that “Power can be very addictive and it can be corrosive and it’s important for the media to call to account people who abuse power, whether it be here or elsewhere.” Bush continued: “We need an independent media to hold people like me to account,” even though he’s probably not actually wanting to answer for the fake auspices under which he launched that whole war on terror. (And he won’t.)
You can watch the whole interview below, which sees Bush weigh in on the Russian leaks and Trump’s Muslim ban.