Donald Trump said on Sunday that the Bush family used eminent domain to build a baseball park in Texas, and added that fellow Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush “probably doesn’t know” what eminent domain is.
“Eminent domain is a very important thing,” Trump told host George Stephanopoulos on ABC News. “Jeb Bush doesn’t understand what it means, and if you look into the Bush family, I found this five minutes ago, they used eminent domain for the stadium in Texas, where they own, I guess, a piece of the Texas Rangers.”
Former president George W. Bush, prior to his running for Govenror of Texas, was part owner of team. Jeb Bush was not involved.
Trump waved off that detail: “It was the Bush family,” he said. “They used private eminent domain. [Jeb Bush] didn’t tell anybody this. So, I mean, he should have told people. Maybe — he probably doesn’t know because I don’t think he even knows what eminent domain is.”
Trump has been under fire for using eminent domain over the course of his own property development. On “Fox News Sunday,” Jeb Bush continued that line of attack.
“He doesn’t sound like a conservative when he embraces eminent domain to use police powers on government to take private property for private use,” Bush said of Trump. “It’s outrageous.”
“This is not the same thing as a pipeline or a bridge or interstate highway,” Bush said, referring to Trump’s casino developments.
