The Gulf War was waged by coalition forces from 35 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait arising from oil pricing and production disputes.

On January 8, 1992, while attending a banquet hosted by the Prime Minister of Japan, Kiichi Miyazawa, President Bush fainted after vomiting in Miyazawa's lap. Footage of the President vomiting was broadcast on the ABC network, and the incident caused a wave of late night television jokes, including a Saturday Night Live skit that depicted First Lady Barbara Bush trying to escape by crawling across the table.

He often used the "thousand points of light" theme to describe the power of citizens to solve community problems. In his 1989 inaugural address, President Bush said, "I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing good."

Bush vetoed a total of 44 bills (29 regular vetoes, and 15 pocket vetoes), with one veto being overridden by Congress.

With a coalition victory in the Persian Gulf War and high approval ratings, Bush's reelection seemed likely. But an ailing economy and an unexpected third party candidate in Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot allowed Democrat Bill Clinton to win the election with 43 percent of the popular vote.

Bush mentioned Millie in a speech during his 1992 bid for re-election, saying "My dog Millie knows more about foreign affairs than these two bozos" in reference to Democratic candidate Bill Clinton and his running mate Al Gore.

Despite his defeat, Bush left office with a 56 percent job approval rating in January 1993.

George and Barbara Bush both passed away in 2018, just a few months apart.

George W. Bush defeated Al Gore in the 2000 election and was re-elected in 2004. Jeb Bush made a bid for the presidency in 2016, but his campaign struggled, and he withdrew from the race during the primaries.

George H. W. Bush died on November 30, 2018, at the age of 94. At the time of his death, he was the longest-lived U.S. president. At the funeral, former president George W. Bush eulogized his father saying, "He looked for the good in each person, and he usually found it."