Gov. Paul LePage on Saturday reminisced about his friendship with former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara.
“He and Barbara were good friends of ours,” LePage said in a phone interview. “Barbara was a special, special friend to both Ann and I, and George was just a great guy. He’s what I call a gentle man.”
The LePages spent time over the years with the Bushes at Walker’s Point, the couple’s Kennebunkport compound, and dined together.
“We had so many good times,” LePage said. “We had lunches together, and they were just wonderful, wonderful people.”
At a meeting in 2014 when LePage was campaigning for re-election, Barbara Bush gave him some advice, though she made it clear beforehand it was not her practice to give political advice, according to the governor.
“She said, ‘But if I did, I would tell you to zip it,'” LePage recalled. “She said, ‘You say things that get you in trouble.’ Ann said, ‘You go girl.'”
LePage said he is not sure if he will be able to attend Bush’s funeral, as he is scheduled to have back surgery Wednesday, as his arthritis is bad, but he said he and his wife might be able to go to Washington, D.C. before then, where Bush’s body will be lying in state.
LePage said he and his wife will miss the former president.
“America has lost an icon,” he said.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
Twitter: @AmyCalder17
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.