George W. Bush said Biden ‘was the only one’ who could defeat Trump, says SC’s Clyburn
Watching President Joe Biden take the oath of office Wednesday, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said one person was on his mind.
His late wife, Ms. Emily England Clyburn, whose words after the Columbia Democrat’s 2019 fish fry — when thousands and about 20 presidential candidates flocked to the state’s capital — stuck with him as he sat outside the U.S. Capitol with one of his three daughters, Jennifer Clyburn Reed.
Emily could not attend the dubbed “world famous” fish fry that year, as she was “beginning to lose her battle” with diabetes, he said.
She died in September, a few months before Biden went on to win South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary.
“I said to her how difficult a primary we’re going to have because there was so many people in the race,” Clyburn said of that night, recalling the moment Wednesday on a call with reporters hours after Biden’s inauguration ceremony. “And she said to me that night, ‘No matter how many people in this race, our best chance of winning the presidency is to nominate Joe Biden.’ And, I thought about that today.”
She was not the only one, Clyburn told reporters.
“George Bush said to me today, he said, ‘You know, you’re the savior, because had we not nominated Joe Biden, we would not be having this transfer of power today,’ “ Clyburn said. “He said to me, ‘Joe Biden was the only one who could have defeated the incumbent president.’ ”
The former GOP president, Clyburn and Reid later posed for a selfie together, Clyburn wearing the garnet hat of his alma mater, S.C. State University.
On the call, Clyburn also stressed the importance of bipartisanship and rebuffed critics who skewer attempts to reach across the aisle.
A week ago, when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol sending lawmakers and staff into hiding, one of the very first people to call and check on Clyburn, he said, was a fellow Columbia colleague, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster.
“And when he called, he said, ‘I’m calling to make sure you’re alright.’ And I assured him that I was. And then before he hung up, he said, ‘By the way, I’m going to ask the Legislature for another $30 million so we can get your broadband program, make it successful,’ ” said Clyburn, who has made broadband internet a No. 1 priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’ve had that kind of relationship with McMaster for as long as I’ve known him.”
After what has been a politically tumultuous start to 2021, some S.C. Republicans asked for healing and seeking of common ground Wednesday.
“Today we witnessed a central tenet of American democracy: the peaceful transition of power. We are one nation under God, and it is time for all of us to unite as one American family,” tweeted U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-North Charleston. “We must find common ground to continue moving our country forward. I ask all of you to join me in prayer for our great nation and our leaders.”
And some vowed to work alongside the new administration.
“Right now, our nation is facing deep division and we must do our best to come together as Americans for the good of our country, rather than furthering this division,” said freshman U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Daniel Island. “I am determined to work with the new administration to move our nation forward and work hard for the Lowcountry and for America.”
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has remained close with now former President Donald Trump, told Fox News on Wednesday that he wants to work with Biden where he can.
But, in moving forward and though many Democrats and some Republicans have called on the U.S. Senate to impeach Trump for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, Graham told CBS News on Wednesday that that would not be a good idea.
“I think it’s bad for the country to impeach a person out of office,” said Graham, R-Seneca.
Graham also wondered aloud how Trump will continue to help the GOP.
“The test for President Trump, will he help us in 2022 to take back the House and Senate?” he said. “... If you want to erase Donald Trump from the Republican Party, you’re going to get erased.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 4:40 PM.
