MSNBC’s Brian Williams and Chris Matthews discussed how the late Barbara Bush was a “shocking” character while hosting the network’s coverage of the first lady’s funeral Saturday.
Following remarks by Rev. Russell Levenson Jr., the pastor of the St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston where the funeral was taking place, Matthews noted how people speaking about Bush were not “photoshopping” her — a comment noting how her friends were “proud of who she was” and didn’t attempt to “clean it up.”
After Williams opined that Bush kept no secrets, Matthews replied: “She paid every time she did speak her candor, I can tell you that.”
“That’s true,” Williams responded, before comparing her legacy to the Trump era. “She was a shocking character at times, even in real-time, back in the day when her husband was president in a way that only looks quaint by today’s standards. Chris.”
“Too much today is tested ahead of time, as we know,” Matthews said.
Earlier in their chat, Matthews described the Bush family as being an “American success story,” while remarking on the closeness between former President Bill Clinton and the Bushes after Clinton defeated Barbara’s husband, former President George H.W. Bush, in the 1992 election.
