Wednesday in a interview with NPR, Republican presidential candidate former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) said his rival Donald Trump’s popularity is a backlash to President Barack Obama and it will pass.
Bush said, “Trump clearly banning all Muslims would actually be so counterproductive in our efforts to destroy ISIS that it’s foolhardy. I mean, it’s beyond ridiculous. It’s quite dangerous.”
When asked about voters supporting Trump’s ban on Muslims, Bush continued, “In a month from now they won’t. That’s the point. The point is that we’re living in this reality-TV kind of political environment, where he fills the space by saying outrageous things. People, based on their emotions, will express support for the sentiment, not necessarily the specifics, because there are none, and then he’ll backtrack. And he’ll move on to the next thing, and he fills the space….I think the emotion of the here and now will subside. Are people scared about the national security interests of our country being violated because of a lax immigration system or a visa waiver program that wasn’t designed for people being radicalized? Yes, they’re scared, and the job of a president — or a candidate, for that matter — isn’t to scare them more; it’s to give them solutions, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
He continued, “I would argue that Donald Trump is in fact a creature of Barack Obama. But for Barack Obama, Donald Trump’s effect would not be nearly as strong as it is. We’re living in a divided country right now, and we need political leaders, rather than continuing to divide as both President Obama and Donald Trump do, to unite us.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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