Bush chooses painting of lady liberty for Christmas cards

George W. Bush has taken to painting ever since he departed the White House in 2008. His latest art celebrates immigrants, and he chose a painting depicting Lady Liberty (titled “Beacon of Hope, 2020”) for his Christmas cards this year. The message inside the card reads:

May the light of the holiday season shine bright in your heart now and throughout the New Year.”

The former President has criticized Trump’s immigration policies and some see his Christmas painting as symbolic of those critiques. Famously, the statute of liberty in New York City’s harbor sits atop a pedestal engraved with the phrase “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” The line is from a poem by Emma Lazarus that was rewritten by Trump’s Acting Director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service Ken Cucinelli , who said it should be revised .to only include immigrants “who can stand on their own two feet” while announcing a rule that would make immigrants who used public benefits ineligible for a green card.

MHC