.@JebBush on Pope-Trump controversy: I don't question Trump's Christianity. That's between him and his Creator. https://t.co/tutGllQ1iw— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) February 19, 2016
Jeb Bush doesn’t think Pope Francis helped anyone when he questioned Donald Trump’s faith.
“I don’t think he helped anybody by saying Donald Trump’s not a Christian,” the former Florida governor and Republican presidential hopeful told hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Friday morning.
“I don’t think he should be interjecting himself into the political arena,” Bush said. “I thought it was probably inappropriate for the pope to intervene in the height of a contested primary this way. He’s the head of my church, so I’m cautious to be honest with you. [Pope Francis] is a spiritual leader and an inspiration.”
Pope Francis suggested Thursday that it is “not Christian” for Trump to suggest a border wall be built between Mexico and the United States. Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, called Francis “disgraceful” in response.
Bush refused Friday to say if he supports Francis’ comments on Trump.
“I don’t question Donald Trump’s Christianity,” he said of the billionaire businessman. “That’s between him and his creator.”
“The fact is that he’s got the wrong policy,” Bush added. “Building a wall and making Mexico pay for it is not a policy. That’s an emotion. That’s a sentiment that tries to appeal to peoples’ angst, frustration and anger. The pope’s right about that.”
Francis made the comments after a six-day visit to Mexico in which he visited the Mexico-U.S. border. At the end of the visit, he laid a wreath and three crosses on the border in memory of the migrants who had died or been arrested trying to illegally cross into the U.S.
Trump, on the other-hand, has long rallied against illegal immigration, linking it with the drug trade and violent crime. He has promised to make Mexico pay for a border to separate the two countries.
