Former President George W. Bush is lending a hand to vulnerable GOP senators whose reelection campaigns are at risk of being hurt by Donald Trump Donald John TrumpUS reimposes UN sanctions on Iran amid increasing tensions Jeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Trump supporters chant 'Fill that seat' at North Carolina rally MORE.

ADVERTISEMENT

All of those senators are considered vulnerable in a year where Republicans are defending far more seats than Democrats. While the GOP has 24 senators up for reelection in 2016, Democrats only have 10.

Bush at the McCain event stressed the necessity of preserving a GOP-led Senate as a "check and balance" on the White House regardless of whether Trump or Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonJeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Momentum growing among Republicans for Supreme Court vote before Election Day Warning signs flash for Lindsey Graham in South Carolina MORE becomes president, according to the Times.

“President Bush believes that it’s critical to keep the Senate in Republican hands,” Bush spokesman Freddy Ford told the paper. “He is actively helping some senators in tight races who are strong leaders and share timeless conservative values.”

Bush has shied away from publicly criticizing Trump, though the Times reported that friends of the former president say he's bothered by the businessman's campaign message and remarks on Muslims and immigrants.

Trump won the GOP primary despite bashing the former president, calling the Iraq War a mistake and noting the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks happened under the former Texas governor's watch.

Jeb Bush, whom his elder brother supported in the GOP primary, dropped out of the Republican presidential race in mid-February, several months before Trump's final rivals exited the race.

George W. Bush announced through a spokesman last month that he wouldn't attend the GOP convention in July for Trump to be officially declared the party's nominee.

The campaign arm for Senate Democrats, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), used the reported fundraisers to tweak Republicans and bash Bush.



“Republicans are so desperate for people to forget that they’ve pledged their allegiance to Donald Trump that they are now campaigning with the architect of a disastrous foreign policy who wanted to privatize Social Security and left office with the economy losing nearly 800,000 jobs a month," DSCC spokesman Sam Lau said in a statement sent to The Hill.

—Updated at 10:46 a.m. on June 17.