George W. Is Going to Appear at Jeb Rallies

Jeb Bush, mocked by Donald Trump for having his "mommy" fight his battles, is going to bring his big brother into the mix on Monday. Friends of George W. Bush tell the Washington Post that the former president is fascinated but troubled by this year's White House race and is "dying to get out there" to help Jeb. George W.—who has already appeared in a pro-Jeb ad and at several closed-door fundraisers—will join Jeb at a rally in North Charleston Monday evening, reports the Wall Street Journal. Former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer says Jeb knows "now is the time you bring in all the reinforcements and let the voters decide."

Former South Carolina GOP chairman Katon Dawson says a poll he commissioned put the elder Bush's popularity at 84% in the state, making him a potential game changer. "The question is: Is that popularity transferable?" Dawson tells the Post. "I don't think it's transferable if he just says, 'Jeb's a good guy. And trust him.' I think it is transferable if George W. Bush comes here, takes the gloves off and starts getting at it against Trump." Aides, however, say that while George W. is "taken aback" by Trump's rise, he plans to keep his campaign appearances statesmanlike. (Bush no longer has Jim Gilmore as a rival.)