After being hospitalized and missing the inauguration of President Donald Trump, former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush are recovering in the hospital and could be released in the coming days, the family’s spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement Sunday.
The former president, 92, has been in a Houston hospital for a week, after suffering breathing problems due to pneumonia. On Wednesday, the former first lady, 91, was hospitalized as well, for fatigue and coughing.
Both have shown signs of improvement over the last few days. Bush remains in the ICU but is breathing on his own, and doctors say “his vital signs are normal,” the statement said.
His wife could have been released Sunday but chose to stay in the hospital “to continue her recovery and to be closer to her husband.”
Both were unable to attend Trump’s inauguration on Friday due to their hospitalization, but according to McGrath, they were able to watch the ceremony together in the hospital.
Bush, the oldest living former president, wrote a letter to Trump on Jan. 10 to express his regrets for missing the ceremony.
“My doctor says if I sit outside in January, it likely will put me six feet under. Same for Barbara,” he wrote. “So I guess we’re stuck in Texas.”
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