Asked about his favorite book, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush jokingly mentioned Donald Trump’s work and then fumbled an answer presenting an alternative.
“My favorite book? Art of the Deal,” Bush said in response to a voter’s question in Columbia. “No, that’s a Donald Trump book. Although in one of those books, I forgot which one, Donald Trump said I was the most gifted politician in the world … he must have forgotten he wrote that because he and I don’t see eye-to-eye much on anything anymore.”
As Bush then moved on to directly answer the question, he failed to immediately call a different book to mind.
“Favorite book. Um I love reading,” Bush continued. “The last book I wrote, read is actually the John Meacham book on my dad, which I love because I got some insights about my father I didn’t even know.
“But I like reading. I like reading a lot. I hope you do, too.”
Bush’s humor is the latest in a series of witticisms that do not appear to have gone over as planned in recent days. The former governor has jokingly raised his hand when a speaker asked how many attendees identified as Democrats and purposefully called a female reporter by the wrong name.
Bush ranks fifth out of six GOP presidential candidates in the Washington Examiner‘s newest power rankings. South Carolina Republicans will cast their ballots on Saturday.
