George W. Bush Shares 9/11-Themed Paintings on Anniversary
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What happened
On Friday, former President George W. Bush shared images of paintings he created to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The works are part of a 16-piece exhibit titled Remembering 9/11, on display throughout September at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas. One painting depicts White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card informing Bush of the attacks while Bush was visiting an elementary-school classroom in Sarasota, Florida. Bush posted the images on social media, describing them as reflections on the anniversary; other works show smoke over the New York skyline, a police badge, and people holding an American flag. The Presidential Center website presents the series as art reflecting on courage, sacrifice, and resilience.
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BLINDSPOT.
Only left-leaning outlets are covering this story
— the other side's media is silent.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Right-leaning outlets had not covered this as of publication, leaving former President George W. Bush’s 9/11 anniversary paintings solely in left-leaning coverage that disagrees on their meaning. Mother Jones reports an exhibit of sixteen works at the Bush Museum in Dallas. It notes the center’s description of “courage, sacrifice, and resilience” skips the wars that followed. Slate instead focuses on the classroom painting’s colorful, almost whimsical style and online claims the work is ghoulish. Readers of the silent side therefore miss the artwork, the month-long Dallas show, and the left’s argument over whether the paintings are ghoulish.
The same split shows up in word choice between the two outlets. Mother Jones calls the works “self-congratulatory.” Slate writes that he is “just a dumb guy who likes to create juvenile-looking paintings.”
Does the Dallas exhibit include any painting of the wars that followed the attacks?
Bottom line
Right-leaning media has not reported Bush's 9/11 paintings at all. The only version available is a left-leaning split in which Mother Jones calls the Dallas works “self-congratulatory.”
The receipts — 5 facts one side's coverage lacks
- An exhibit of 16 paintings titled Remembering 9/11 is on display at the Bush Museum in Dallas for the entire month of September
- The Bush Presidential Center describes the series as works of art to reflect on the courage, sacrifice, and resilience that emerged from one of the most defining moments in American history
- The War on Terror killed at least 4.5 million people
- Bush wrote that twenty-five years ago the actions of an enemy revealed the spirit of the American people and that the paintings are his reflections of this solemn anniversary
- Other paintings depict smoke rising above the New York City skyline, a hand holding a police badge, and a group holding an American flag
The Left View
Left-leaning outlets reported Bush’s posts and the Dallas exhibit. Mother Jones called the paintings self-congratulatory and used the story to recap Bush’s post-9/11 record, including the War on Terror, a cited death toll, and the Department of Homeland Security. The Hill ran a brief factual account focused on Bush sharing the Andrew Card painting. Slate described the style as spare, sketchy, and colorful, noted online comments calling the works disrespectful or ghoulish, referenced Bush’s earlier paintings, and argued the hobby does not change his presidential record while making him appear more human than some later figures.
Our Take (balanced)
The core event is substantive and checkable: Bush’s social-media posts, the named 16-work exhibit, and the museum website establish that he created and displayed the paintings. Named actors, dates, and locations are documented. Characterizations of the works as self-congratulatory, ghoulish, or an attempt at rehabilitation are interpretive opinion, not additional verified claims about the paintings or exhibit. No right-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for the remaining works in the series, any further statements from Bush or the Presidential Center, and primary records of the exhibit itself.
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