Jeb Bush showed a new side of himself willing to take on Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump in the last GOP debate, but NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd thinks it might make no difference at this stage of the race.
During Tuesday’s debate, Bush took an aggressive approach to Trump, who has spent much of his own campaign taunting the former Florida governor as “low energy” and not equipped for the country’s top job.
“This is a tough business, to run for president and we need to have a leader that is principled,” Bush, who sits at fourth in the Washington Examiner‘s presidential power rankings, said. “You’re never going to be president of the United States by insulting your way to the presidency.”
Appearing uncharacteristically shaken, Trump hit back, “You’re real tough, Jeb, yeah. Well, let’s see, I’m at 42 [percent in national polls] and you’re at 3, so so far, I’m doing better.”
Bush shurgged, “It doesn’t matter.”
On MSNBC Wednesday, Todd said that was Trump’s “worst moment” but that for Bush, “the fact of the matter is, yes, it’s a little late to be doing this.”
“Yes, he should have been doing this earlier, he should have been more comfortable doing it,” Todd said. “Is it too late? Look, the trajectory is not good. Nobody has spent more money and seen his numbers go down more — financially, when you look at sort of the amount of money spent versus the standing in the polls, than Jeb Bush.”
Bush, once perceived to be the most likely to win the GOP presidential nomination, has seen his campaign flounder under the weight of Trump’s popularity, with Bush polling nationally in single digits.
