George H.W. Bush is now breathing on his own after a breathing tube was removed on Friday, according to a family spokesman.

The former US President has spent nearly a week at a Houston hospital where he is being treated for pneumonia.

Bush, who at 92 is the nation's oldest living ex-president, watched the inauguration of President Donald Trump from the intensive care unit at Houston Methodist Hospital.

Former first lady Barbara Bush, 91, was admitted to the same hospital on Wednesday as a precaution after experiencing fatigue and coughing.

The spokesman added that she is being treated for bronchitis and is expected to remain in the hospital over the weekend as a precaution.