George W. Bush believes his brother, Jeb Bush, would beat Hillary Clinton if the two were to run against each other in the 2016 presidential election, he told CNN.

"Yeah, he'd beat her," the former president said of Jeb, who served as Florida governor from 1999-2007, USA Today noted.

George W. Bush conceded, however, that Clinton -- a former first lady, senator and secretary of state -- would be a formidable candidate.

Jeb Bush said recently that he would make a decision about a White House run "in short order," though early polling shows him trailing Clinton by 5 percentage points.

Still, Jeb Bush would not be afraid of a tough presidential race, his brother insisted, according to Washington's CBS affiliate.

"He's seen what it's like to be the son of a president. He's seen what it's like to be the brother of a president," George W. Bush said. "(But) he is not rushing into running for the presidency. I have no clue where his head is now."

The 43rd president added, however, he has no stake in the decision.

"People say, 'Convince your brother to run,'" he explained. "(But) you can't convince him to run -- only he can make the decision. Pushing him doesn't help."

The potential Jeb Bush-Hillary Clinton matchup "would pit two of the most important American political dynasties of recent decades against each other for the second time," CNN reports. Clinton's husband, Bill Clinton, became president in 1993 after he defeated the re-election bid of George H.W. Bush, the Bush brothers' father.

According to CNN, both families maintain "vast political and fundraising networks" now maintained by Clinton and Jeb Bush.

"Clinton would be the prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic nomination, while Bush would likely face a stiffer challenge from conservative critics during his primary thanks to some of his positions on education and immigration policy," according to CNN.

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, meanwhile, have formed an unlikely friendship that once led George W. Bush to refer to Clinton as his "brother from another mother." That would make Hillary Clinton his "sister-in-law," George W. Bush said.

Related