George W Bush in Donald Trump takedown in support of brother Jeb

George W Bush never mentioned Donald Trump. But, with his folksy touch, the former US president unleashed a tough takedown of the billionaire businessman who has upended a Republican Party his family has long led.

“I understand Americans are angry and frustrated,” George Bush said during his first campaign rally for his brother, Jeb. “But we do not need somebody in the Oval Office who mirrors and inflames our anger and frustration.”

Mr Trump’s rise has confounded the Bush family and its allies. But despite months of predicting the brash billionaire would fade, it is Jeb Bush whose White House hopes are in peril, particularly if he is unable to pull out a strong showing in Saturday’s South Carolina primary.