Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush blamed the “cable shows” and “political press” for the struggle he has had connecting with Republican primary voters.
Bush told NBC’s Chuck Todd that he does not understand why his supporters think something is missing from his campaign.
“Do you know why they think that [something is missing]?” Todd asked.
“Probably because they watch the cable shows and they read the political press,” Bush answered. “But if they followed me on the campaign trail, like last week in New Hampshire where we had 300 people totally connected, totally believing in me, I think they would see a different candidate. I’ve just got to be able to break through the clutter of all the punditry class, and I think I can do that.”
Bush also criticized last week’s presidential debate on CNBC and detailed how he would respond differently if confronted with a similar debate format in the future.
“This is not debating. Whatever it’s called, it’s certainly not debating because I can complete a sentence in the English language pretty well, and I have ideas that will lift people up,” Bush said. “So if someone asks me about fantasy football next time, which was kind of bizarre if you think about it, I’ll talk about the people I’ve met that are really worried that they have declining income. They’re worried about their children having more opportunities.”
Bush, who fell to seventh in the Washington Examiner‘s GOP presidential power rankings issued after Wednesday’s debate, said he is “a grinder” who has the backbone, heart, and brain capable of winning the presidency as a Republican. The governor will attempt to reboot his campaign at a Monday speech in Tampa, Fla., before embarking on a “Jeb can fix it” tour.
