He didn't. The country hated him when he reneged on his "read my lips, no new taxes" pledge, and he wasn't Reagan.
Slick Willie was marketed well and Hillary was poised to design universal health care. (Smartest woman in the world, hype) She failed (again) of course, but that was the design.
Besides being a former CIA puke, the country didn't trust GHWB to have the guts to keep the Reagan era alive. When he allowed the Dimocrats in Congress to convince him to sign a tax hike, he was DONE.
On a personal level, no one could believe Barbara was his wife, and not his mother. She aged so early and poorly, it looked odd to people.
I bet Elon Musk was pissed seeing that flag.
They'll do a better job of clearing the landing zone next time, I bet.