On the evening of September 10th, 2001, the Suncoast was as quiet as any other September night by the bay. Two brothers, soon to face one of the hardest days in American history, sat down for a Tex-Mex dinner on Longboat Key. Jeb Bush remembers it simply as a normal, nice dinner. Within hours, his brother, President George W. Bush, would be at Emma E. Booker Elementary in Sarasota when he learned a second plane had struck the World Trade Center.
As the president was rushed aboard Air Force One, Jeb, then Florida’s governor, went to work in Tallahassee. He shut down the state Capitol and coordinated with Disney CEO Michael Eisner as flights across the country were grounded. Amid the chaos, the brothers shared one brief phone call. No policy discussion, no strategy. Jeb told his brother he loved him and that the country was praying for him.
Twenty-five years later, Jeb reflects on watching his brother grow into the presidency and how the office reshaped his life. George W. Bush now spends two to three hours a day painting. Do you still mark September 11th in a special way? Tell us your story on our station page.
