Former aide to George H.W. Bush: 'I'm glad' Trump came to the funeral
Joe Watkins, an MSNBC analyst and White House aide to former President George H.W. Bush, said Wednesday that he was "glad" President Donald Trump attended Bush's state funeral service.
Watkins called Bush's funeral "incredible," adding that "people were crying all around me because it was so moving."
"It was funny and it was moving at the same time," Watkins said. "I mean whether it was Jon Meacham or former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney or Alan Simpson the former senator from Wyoming, who was hilarious but also just so on point, or George W. Bush, the former president who moved so many of us to tears."
On Trump, Watkins said it was "a big step for him to be" in attendance, though he added that he thought Trump "had to be there."
"But I'm glad he was there and I’m glad that he said what he said beforehand and that he was consistent with the spirit of the moment, which was about honoring the memory of George Herbert Walker Bush," Watkins said.