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Bush calls Kanye West's rant 'disgusting'

Former President George W. Bush says one of the "most disgusting" moments in his presidency took place in 2005 -- when rapper Kanye West criticized him at a Hurricane Katrina benefit.
/ Source: Us Weekly

Former President George W. Bush says one of the "most disgusting" moments in his presidency took place in 2005 — when rapper Kanye West criticized him at a Hurricane Katrina benefit.

West, 33, infamously declared on the televised Concert for Hurricane Relief, "George Bush doesn't care about black people," blaming him for the reason that America helps "the less well-off as slow as possible."

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In a Nov. 8 "Matt Lauer Reports" primetime special on NBC, Bush (now promoting his new book) says though he didn't watch the telecast, he still heard what West said.

"He called me a racist," Bush tells Lauer.

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When Lauer clarifies that West said, "'George Bush doesn't care about black people,'" Bush says, to him, that means "'he's a racist.'"

"And I didn't appreciate it then. I don't appreciate it now," Bush goes on. "It's one thing to say, 'I don't appreciate the way he's handled his business.' It's another thing to say, 'This man's a racist.' I resent it, it's not true, and it was one of the most disgusting moments in my presidency."

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NBC's Matt Lauer will sit down with President George W. Bush in his first one-on-one television interview since leaving the Oval Office. The interview will air Monday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. ET as a special primetime “Matt Lauer Reports.” President Bush will then join Lauer live on TODAY on Wednesday, Nov. 10.