GEORGE BUSH IS BACK - WHAT HE JUST SAID ABOUT TRUMP WILL STUN YOU
George W. Bush Returns to the Republican Fundraising Scene, Joining Effort to Protect GOP Senate Majority
Former President George W. Bush is making a relatively uncommon return to Republican campaign politics, lending his presence to a fundraising effort aimed at helping GOP Senate candidates defend the party’s majority in November.
Bush attended a Dallas fundraising event Monday evening as a special guest at an event hosted by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. The fundraiser was organized to benefit six Republican Senate candidates competing in some of the country’s most closely watched contests.
The event supports Maintain the Majority, a newly established joint fundraising committee created to help Republican Senate candidates as the party works to retain control of the chamber.
The committee is backing three Republican senators seeking reelection: Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio and Dan Sullivan of Alaska.
It is also directing support toward three Republicans pursuing open seats or challenging Democratic-held seats: Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa, former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan and former Sen. John E. Sununu in New Hampshire.
Bush’s appearance comes as both parties intensify their fundraising efforts ahead of Election Day, concentrating substantial resources on a relatively limited number of competitive Senate races.
Republicans currently control the Senate, but contests across the country have turned control of the chamber into an expensive campaign battle. States attracting particular attention include Maine, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire, Iowa, Alaska, Texas, North Carolina and Georgia.
CBS News recently identified 12 Senate races as potentially significant in determining which party will control the chamber.
Cornyn has been outspoken about the need to direct Republican campaign money toward races where he believes it can make the greatest difference.
The Texas senator, who previously chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee, recently cautioned that Republicans face difficult choices over how to distribute their resources during the final weeks of the campaign.
“Pouring another $100 million in Texas jeopardizes other races, and I think the most important thing in the end is that Republicans maintain the majority in the Senate,” Cornyn told Semafor.
Ken Paxton's Absence Draws Attention at the Dallas Fundraiser
One prominent Republican was missing from Monday evening’s fundraising effort: Texas GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton.
Paxton, who received President Trump’s endorsement, defeated Cornyn earlier this year in a costly and contentious Republican primary. Cornyn later said he would support the Republican ticket in November, but Paxton was not among the candidates included in the Maintain the Majority fundraising effort.
His exclusion stands out given that the Texas Senate race has become a major focus of Republican campaign spending.
Paxton is facing Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the general election. Organizations affiliated with Trump and Republican Senate groups have committed tens of millions of dollars to advertising in Texas. Cornyn, meanwhile, has publicly questioned whether those resources could produce a greater impact if directed toward other competitive races.
The two Republicans had previously battled through one of the country's most expensive Senate primaries before Paxton emerged as the nominee.
Bush also had a financial connection to Cornyn during that primary campaign. Federal campaign records previously showed that the former president contributed $5,000 to Cornyn's campaign.
According to The Texas Tribune, the contribution marked Bush's first donation to a federal candidate in Texas since the 2022 election cycle.
Bush's Return Highlights His Longstanding Ties to Cornyn
Since leaving the White House in January 2009, Bush has generally stayed away from the daily activities of partisan politics. That history makes his participation in Monday's fundraiser particularly notable.
His appearance also reflects a longstanding political relationship with Cornyn. Both men built their careers in Texas Republican politics during the same era.
Bush served as governor of Texas from 1995 until he became president in 2001. Cornyn, meanwhile, served as the state's attorney general before winning election to the U.S. Senate in 2002.
The Dallas gathering also brought together several prominent figures associated with the Republican establishment.
Reporting on the event identified former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican donor Harlan Crow and Harriet Miers among the participants and invitees. Miers served as White House counsel during Bush's presidency and was briefly nominated by him to serve on the Supreme Court.
Two other Republican Senate candidates facing major contests were also left out of the fundraising committee: Michael Whatley in North Carolina and Rep. Mike Collins in Georgia.
As November approaches, Republican leaders are confronting increasingly difficult decisions about where to concentrate their campaign resources. With several closely watched races competing for financial support, the effort to preserve the party's Senate majority is placing growing pressure on decisions about how and where Republican money should be spent.
CBS Host LOSES IT After Sen. Kennedy FACT CHECKS Her Trump LIES… THIS GOT BAD!...
CBS Host PRESSES John Kennedy on Trump’s Spending — His Answer Takes an Unexpected Turn
The interview began with some of the biggest questions facing Washington: the conflict with Iran, rising fuel costs, and the approaching midterm elections. But when Republican Senator John Kennedy appeared on Face the Nation with CBS host Margaret Brennan, the conversation quickly moved toward an issue that could shape the political debate for months to come: how the government spends taxpayers’ money.
Kennedy did not pretend that the economic pressure facing American families was insignificant. He argued that voters were far more concerned about the cost of living than the daily battles playing out on television. With oil prices affected by disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, he said, the consequences of foreign policy were reaching directly into household budgets.
Kennedy Brings the Conversation Back to Affordability
Kennedy’s message to the White House was unusually direct. He predicted that the midterm elections would be close and argued that Republicans needed to keep their attention on the financial concerns of ordinary Americans.
“When moms and dads lie down to sleep at night and can't,” Kennedy told Brennan, they are worried about the cost of living.
He also called for a nationwide address explaining why the United States entered the conflict with Iran, what the administration hoped to achieve, and how it intended to bring the situation to a conclusion.
His position was not a blanket rejection of the administration’s strategy. Kennedy defended continued pressure on Iran while acknowledging the economic consequences of the partially closed strait. He opposed sending American troops into the situation, warning that deploying them could create a new set of problems.
That combination—support for pressure abroad alongside concern about prices at home—set the tone for the rest of the interview.
Nearly $1 Billion in Cuts Sparks a Constitutional Dispute
The conversation became more pointed when Brennan asked about the White House’s decision to cancel nearly $1 billion in previously approved federal funding without congressional consent.
Brennan raised concerns expressed by Senator Susan Collins, the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, who argued that the move threatened Congress’s constitutional authority over federal spending.
Kennedy disagreed.
“I love Susan like a taco, but she's wrong,” he said before explaining his view that Congress often appropriates money in broad categories, leaving agencies with considerable discretion over how funds are ultimately used.
He then deployed the phrase that would become the interview’s most memorable sound bite: “Spending porn.”
Kennedy used the expression to criticize what he considers wasteful government expenditures, pointing to funding for circumcision programs in Zambia and electric buses in Rwanda. He also argued that Congress should take greater responsibility for identifying and eliminating spending it believes is unnecessary.
But the disagreement was about more than whether particular programs were worthwhile. It raised a larger question: when Congress approves funding, how much authority should the executive branch have to cancel or redirect it?
Kennedy defended the cuts, while Brennan’s question highlighted the legal and constitutional objections. The interview did not resolve that dispute, but it brought the competing arguments into sharp focus.
Then Kennedy Turned the Standard on Trump
The most revealing moment came when Brennan shifted from the proposed cuts to taxpayer-funded advertising.
She asked Kennedy about a government-funded commercial prominently featuring President Donald Trump and praising his leadership. The question echoed earlier controversy surrounding former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department had spent $220 million on a border-security advertising campaign in which she appeared prominently.
Kennedy had previously criticized Noem’s campaign. Now, with Trump featured in another advertisement paid for by the federal government, Brennan asked whether that spending was appropriate.
Kennedy’s response was notable because he explicitly included his own political allies—and himself—in the principle he was defending.
“I don't think any public official, including President Trump or Kristi Noem or John Kennedy, should spend public money on private ads for themselves,” he said.
He acknowledged that the White House viewed the issue differently but argued that public funds should not be used to promote individual politicians. He also suggested that politicians should not have buildings named after them while they are still alive.
That answer complicated any attempt to portray his position as simply a defense of the administration. Kennedy supported the proposed spending cuts, but he also applied his criticism of taxpayer-funded self-promotion to Trump.
The Real Takeaway From the Interview
The exchange was not a shouting match, nor does the published transcript establish that Brennan lost her composure or that Kennedy fact-checked a series of false statements from her. What it does show is a pointed discussion about economic priorities, congressional spending authority, and whether public money should be used to enhance a politician’s image.
Kennedy’s argument was straightforward: families are worried about affordability, government spending deserves scrutiny, and the rules should apply regardless of party.
Whether viewers agree with his assessment of the proposed cuts is a separate question. The legal dispute over executive spending authority and the debate over taxpayer-funded political advertising deserve examination beyond a few memorable television lines.
The moment worth watching is when Brennan moves from criticizing government spending in general to asking Kennedy about an advertisement featuring Trump himself. That is where the discussion becomes more complicated—and where Kennedy’s stated principle is tested against his own party’s leadership.
Watch the full interview through the link below to hear the exchange in context and decide how convincing each side’s argument really was.
