George W. Bush says he voted for Condoleezza Rice in 2020, walks back 'nativist' comment

Former President George W. Bush says he cast a 2020 presidential write-in ballot for his former secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, eschewing reelection support for fellow Republican Donald Trump or a vote for now-Democratic President Biden.

The former president revealed his voting choice in an interview with People magazine while promoting his new book, "Out of Many, One," which includes portraits inspired by American immigrants and their life stories.

Bush said he told Rice about his vote and that she said she would refuse to accept the office.

Bush on Tuesday called the Republican Party "isolationist, protectionist and, to a certain extent, nativist."

He attempted in the People interview to clarify the comment by saying, "Really what I should have said – 'There's loud voices who are isolationists, protectionists and nativists,' something, by the way, I talked about when I was president.

"But I painted with too broad a brush ... because by saying what I said, it excluded a lot of Republicans who believe we can fix the problem."