Jenna Bush Hager clarifies Bush 41’s ‘thousand points of light’ for Trump

Jenna Bush Hager shared a note from her grandfather, former President George H.W. Bush, on Friday, clarifying his popular phrase “thousand points of light,” after President Trump took a swipe at it during a campaign rally earlier this week.

Hager, a “Today” show correspondent and daughter of former President George W. Bush, on Friday tweeted a 1997 letter from her grandfather discussing the phrase “thousand points of light,” which he coined during his 1988 presidential bid to highlight the importance of community organizations.

“I have pursued life itself over many years now and with varying degrees of happiness. Some of my happiness still comes from trying to be in my own small way a true ‘point of light,’” Bush wrote in the letter.

{mosads}

“I believe I was right when I said, as President, there can be no definition of a successful life that does not include service to others. So I do that now, and I gain happiness.”

Hager expanded on the phrase itself, tweeting: “[A] point of light was a vision about serving others, one that lit up our country, one I hope our country hasn’t lost.” 

From a letter my grandfather wrote in 1997: a point of light was a vision about serving others, one that lit up our country, one I hope our country hasn’t lost. pic.twitter.com/JTq9BHcbvf

— Jenna Bush Hager (@JennaBushHager) July 6, 2018

Trump faced sharp criticism for jabbing at the phrase during a Montana rally on Thursday.

“You know all of the rhetoric you see … ‘thousands points of light.’ What the hell was that by the way?” he said. “‘Thousand points of light.’ What does that mean?”

“I know one thing: ‘Make America Great Again’ we understand. Putting America first we understand,” Trump continued. “‘Thousand points of light,’ I never quite got that one. What the hell is that? Has anyone ever figured that one out? It was put out by a Republican, wasn’t it?”

Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer on Friday criticized Trump for his comments, saying they were “uncalled for.”