Former President George H.W. Bush sent his regrets to President-elect Donald Trump last week after deciding to skip the upcoming inauguration based on the advice of his doctor.
"My doctor says if I sit outside in January, it will likely put me six feet under," the 41st president wrote in the letter, dated Jan. 10. "Same for Barbara. So I guess we're stuck in Texas."
Bush, 92, was hospitalized Saturday after showing up at Houston Methodist Hospital with "shortness of breath," spokesman Jim McGrath said.
>> Related: Former President George H.W. Bush hospitalized
Bush "responded very well to treatments," McGrath said on Wednesday morning. "(We) hope to have him out soon."
Bush's son, former president George W. Bush, and his daughter-in-law, Laura, will attend Friday's festivities.
"They are pleased to be able to witness the peaceful transfer of power – a hallmark of American democracy – and swearing-in of President Trump and Vice President (Mike) Pence," George W. Bush's office said in a statement.
A spokesman told Politico that neither George W. Bush nor his wife voted for Trump in November. Instead, they voted for "None Of The Above for President," the spokesman said.
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