The White House defended President Bush's absence from the campaign trail Monday, saying he is focused on his challenges and on putting in place procedures to ensure a seamless transition to the next president.
As the term winds down, the Bush Administration also recognized the low approval ratings for the president, a fact which is likely to hurt Republican candidates in Tuesday's election, but said that George Bush remains confident that he did the right things during his time in the nation's highest office.
In advance of Tuesday's election, President Bush has scheduled few public appearances and virtually no political events in recent weeks, although the first lady and vice president made campaign stops last week.
"President Bush has followed this campaign with a huge amount of interest. He's followed the issues, he's followed the candidates, followed the tactics. But he realizes that this election is not about him," said White House Press Secretary Dana Perino.
Perino pointed out that this is the first time in 14 years that Bush has not been on a ballot, saying that this fact gives him a different role than in the past.
"But we are also cognizant that this campaign, the Republican Party wanted to make this election about John McCain, and that's appropriate," the press secretary stated.
However, Perino said Bush's absence from the campaign trail doesn't mean he's not rooting for the success of his party.
"President Bush remains hopeful that John McCain will pull it out tomorrow night and will win the election, and he thinks that Republican candidates all across America have the right ideas when it comes to the economy and national security," she said.
Despite being behind the party, Perino noted that polling figures show that the Democrats have an edge in the election, with Obama ahead in national surveys and the Democrats expected to pick up seats in Congress.
"He'll be pulling for them," the press secretary said of the Republicans running in the election. "But he also is realistic about the political environment that we're in."
Perino recognized that the president's historically low approval ratings show that many Americans disagree with his choices but said that is sometimes the consequence of tackling historic challenges.
"This President has taken on really big issues, and he's been tested in many ways, and this is a President who has done big things. And often when you do big things and you make tough decisions, they're not popular," she said. "President Bush understands that."
She added, "What keeps him going is knowing that he's done the right thing."
But regardless of the outcome of the election, the administration is committed to ensuring a swift transition to the next presidency.
"We're facing a transition where we want to make sure that other countries know that we will have a peaceful transition and that the next crew that's coming in here knows the tools that it has to help fight the war on terror, that it knows how to prosecute the war on terror, since … that's our most important obligation here. They will also be getting a lot of briefings on Iraq and Afghanistan, Africa, issues on the financial summit," Perino said.
She went on to say, "I do think that it will be one of the most professional transitions to date. … Starting about a year ago, the President asked the agencies to start working on their transition plans and to make sure that senior career officials at those agencies were shadowing the political appointees so that if there is a gap, a personnel gap, and they need to take over for a while, that they would be able to do so and do their job effectively and efficiently."
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.