Jeb Bush celebrated Cinco de Mayo Tuesday by delivering a video address completely in Spanish.
In the message, which was posted to the likely GOP presidential candidate’s Right To Rise PAC YouTube page, Bush spotlights the history of the holiday and urges all to “recognize and celebrate” the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico.
“I would like to send a message to the entire Hispanic community around the country, especially to our fellow friends of Mexican origin,” Bush says in well-practiced Spanish. “Cinco de Mayo is an honorable date when Mexico, our neighbor, bravely defended itself against a foreign intervention.”
He labeled the Fifth of May a day for the U.S. to “recognize and celebrate our relationship and our ties with Mexico and the great contributions of the Mexican-American community to our country.”
“For me, this relationship is very profound,” Bush continued, revealing a bit of his own personal history. “My wife Columba was born in Mexico, my family has strong ties with Mexico and I have great respect and affection for our neighbors.”
The message ends with well wishes for a happy Cinco de Mayo.
The former governor of Florida has not been shy about his connection to Hispanic culture, even going so far as accidentally identifying himself as Hispanic on a 2009 voter-registration form.
