Presidency of George H. W. Bush

Presidency of George H. W. Bush January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993
Cabinet	See list
Party	Republican
Election	1988
Seat	White House
← Ronald Reagan Bill Clinton →
Seal of the president
Library website

This article is part of a series about George H. W. Bush
Personal Family Electoral history Eponyms Honors Bibliography Bush School of Government Points of Light Death 43rd Vice President of the United States Transition Reagan administration first inauguration second inauguration Reagan assassination attempt Foreign policy Vice presidential campaigns 1980 election selection convention debates 1984 election convention debates 41st President of the United States Presidency timeline Transition Inauguration Presidential library Tenure Thousand points of light Invasion of Panama Gulf War Operation Restore Hope NAFTA International trips Pardons Policies Environmental Foreign Appointments Federal judges Thomas Presidential campaigns 1980 primaries convention 1988 election primaries convention "No new taxes" debates 1992 election primaries convention debates
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George H. W. Bush's tenure as the 41st president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 1989, and ended on January 20, 1993. Bush, a Republican from Texas and the incumbent vice president for two terms under President Ronald Reagan, took office following his landslide victory over Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election. His presidency ended following his defeat in the 1992 presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton, after one term in office. Bush was the father of the 43rd president, George W. Bush.

International affairs drove the Bush presidency, which navigated the end of the Cold War and a new era of U.S.–Soviet relations. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Bush successfully pushed for the reunification of Germany in close cooperation with West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, overcoming the reluctance of Gorbachev. He also led an international coalition of countries which invaded and defeated Iraq after it invaded Kuwait in the Gulf War. On a smaller scale he directed a military invasion to overthrow a dictator in Panama. Bush signed the North American Free Trade Agreement, which created a trilateral trade bloc consisting of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

In domestic affairs, Bush faced a large federal budget deficit. Despite insisting he was pledged to not raise taxes, Bush agreed to a budget with the Democratic-controlled Congress that raised taxes and cut spending.

In the aftermath of allied victory in the Gulf War, Bush was widely considered likely to win re-election, but Clinton defeated Bush with third party candidate Ross Perot taking a large chunk of the electorate. Despite his defeat, Bush left office with a 56 percent job approval rating, and he remained popular with the public until his death in 2018. In polls of historians and political scientists, George H.W. Bush is generally ranked as an above-average president.