Former President George HW Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush, will not be attending Donald Trump’s inauguration this Friday, because sitting out in the cold might literally kill them.
Bush Sr. penned a letter to the president-elect last week sending his apologies for missing out on the Donald’s big day and wishing him the best.
“Barbara and I are so sorry we can’t be there for your Inauguration on January 20th,” the former President wrote on the letter dated Jan. 10. “My doctor says if I sit outside in January, it likely will put me six feet under. Same for Barbara.”
The 92-year-old went on to add that although he cannot physically attend the event, he will definitely be there “in spirit.”
“I want you to know that I wish you the very best as you begin this incredible journey of leading our great country,” wrote Bush Sr.
Both the former president and his wife were hospitalized Wednesday, just a little over a week after sending Trump’s letter, for an “acute respiratory problem,” Bush’s spokesman Jim McGrath said in a statement on Twitter. Barbara was admitted to the Houston Methodist Hospital “as a precaution after experiencing fatigue and coughing,” McGrath added.