Pat Dollard

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Palm Beach, Florida (CNN) – Donald Trump has more harsh criticism for one of the most recognizable men in the world: George W. Bush.

In a display of bipartisan bashing, Trump lashed out at the nation’s 43rd president as he criticized the 44th.

“George Bush gave us Barack Obama. If it weren’t for George Bush, we wouldn’t have Barack Obama,” Trump said on Friday. “So I’m not thrilled with George Bush.”

The billionaire real estate mogul made the comments at his famed Palm Beach estate Mar-a-Lago that sits on 20 acres and boasts 126 rooms. The star of NBC’s “The Apprentice” spoke to reporters in a hastily arranged news conference moments before a posh, poolside party at the estate and hours before he was to speak at a Tea Party rally.

Trump was pressed to explain his comments.

“Because he[Bush] didn’t have a great presidency, especially at the end. And because of his actions, and because of his aura, it was very tough for a Republican to win,” Trump said. “And in all fairness to John McCain and to Sarah Palin, I think it would have been very, very tough for anybody – for Abraham Lincoln – to win after having followed George Bush.”

Trump has previously let out harsh criticism of the 43rd president.

In a March 2007 interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Trump said, “Well, I think Bush is probably the worst president in the history of the United States.” He cited the war in Iraq, calling it a “total disaster” and added later: “Look, everything in Washington has been a lie. Weapons of mass destruction – it was a total lie. It was a way of attacking Iraq.”

Trump now sees Obama as deserving that notorious distinction, calling him “the worst president in the history of the United States.” Among other items, Trump reasoned that the president has not done well handling foreign affairs, such as the conflict in Libya, and that “Obamacare” is bad for the country.

Headlining a Tea Party rally in Boca Raton on Saturday, Trump will make his first appearance at a campaign-like political rally this year. The rally will mirror others across the country over the weekend as conservative activists protest government spending days before Monday’s deadline to file taxes.

Media and public interest in Trump has recently increased as he’s questioned President Obama’s birthplace. And his popularity with Tea Party activists has also increased. The reality television star boasted that interest in Saturday’s rally ballooned after it was announced that he would appear.

“It was supposed to be 300 people,” he said. “When they heard I was speaking, I heard it’s going to be anywhere from five-to-ten thousand people.”

And yet Trump has publicly supported one issue that Tea Party activists despise: the bank bailout. When asked if he can win Tea Party support given his support for this issue, Trump demurred from a direct response.

“Well I actually think the tea party is more of a party of common sense.”