GRINNELL, Iowa — Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush went after 2016 rival Donald Trump Tuesday over his attempt to “hijack” conservatism as it’s known today.
Bush, who took multiple barbs at Trump during a town hall, said that the billionaire is “hijacking the conservative cause” and is not a conservative himself. The former Florida governor made the comment when asked about government responsiveness by an attendee.
“A 21st century federal government should be much more efficient, much smaller, much more nimble, and much more respectful of the people that they’re serving,” Bush started. “Some people think that what I just described, ‘oh, that’s just boring stuff. Who cares about that.'”
“I mean, I love ideology, I love conservative principles, I love to win the conservative battle — I have to admit, I do not like Donald Trump’s hijacking of the conservative cause because he isn’t one,” Bush said. “But I also believe that government, no matter what its size is, better be a lot more efficient because that’s how you restore trust in government.”
This comment came toward the end of Bush’s town hall, but the former governor took many shots at Trump, who currently leads the GOP field nationally and in New Hampshire while being in a dead heat with Sen. Ted Cruz in Iowa.
Bush also repeatedly called Trump a “jerk” after he was asked about Trump’s comments about Serge Kovaleski, a reporter for the New York Times. Trump was accused of mocking Kovaleski’s disability in November.
“Who else would do it?” Bush rhetorically asked, pointing to Trump. “No other candidate would say what he did, mocking someone that had a severe physical disability. No one would do that. I mean, are you kidding me?”
“I was asked at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire ‘why don’t you call Donald Trump a jerk.’ And, you know, I’m thinking ‘my mom probably didn’t want me to call him a jerk.’ But I don’t apologize for it because he is a jerk,” Bush said, pointing also to his comments about Sen. John McCain not being a war hero. “He is a jerk when he disparages women the way he does. He is a jerk when he disparages people with disabilities. How are we going to win the presidency if we’re tearing our country apart?”
“We’ve had seven long years of a president whose skills and talents have been organized around dividing the country. Constantly pushing down people who disagree with him to make himself look better,” Bush said. “Are we going to replicate that with a guy that’s all about him and feels compelled to insult people who are innocent that have nothing to do with this?”
Bush is currently sixth on the Washington Examiner‘s presidential power rankings.
