During Barack Obama's presidency, George W. Bush made a commitment not to criticize his successor in public, feeling that it was undignified and wouldn't unite the country. Still, Ellen DeGeneres tried to make him abandon that practice when it came to President Trump.

Bush appeared on DeGeneres' daytime talk show on Thursday and was asked what he thought about the current mood of the country.

"I think this isn't the first time our nation's been divided," Bush said. "I remember what it was like when I got out of college, there was a Vietnam War, and a draft, there w[ere] major race riots. The president was nearly impeached, and a lot of people thought the country was going down the tubes. It turns out we're too strong to go down the tubes, so I'm fairly optimistic."

DeGeneres looked surprised by his answer, but Bush insisted that he did not believe a former president should criticize Trump.

Despite Bush's attempt to gloss over discussing Trump, DeGeneres persisted and said that Trump was waging war against the press.

Yet again, Bush refused to take the bait and rather than attacking Trump, he spoke about how America was great for having the freedom of the press and religion.

After being rebutted twice, DeGeneres took a swipe at Trump by referencing Vladimir Putin. Still Bush decided to take the higher road and tell the story of when the Russian President met his deceased dog, Barney.

Regardless of what anyone thought of Bush's presidency, he's been a class act out of office.

Watch the full clip below: