Former President George W. Bush will not publicly comment on President Donald Trump's executive order pausing immigration from seven countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Bush's spokesman, Freddy Ford, told Yahoo News via email that the 43rd president will stay out of the public debate on the issue.
"The same silence that was afforded to President Obama will be extended to President Trump," Ford wrote.
Bush has kept out of the spotlight since his presidency, choosing not to respond to criticism and blame directed at him by the Obama administration.
Days after leaving office, Obama has already come out to criticize Trump for his executive order.
"With regard to comparisons to President Obama's foreign policy decisions, as we've heard before, the president fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion," Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said in a statement.
Trump's order temporarily bans immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries over fears of terrorism and halts the Syrian refugee program. The executive action has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans. Hundreds of bureaucrats at the State Department dissented from the policy in a cable.
