Bush says Trump is trying to "insult his way" to the presidency
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, is "trying to insult his way to the presidency," a day after Trump criticized Bush for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail.
"It's not going to work," Bush said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" Thursday. "People come to this country to pursue their dreams. Sometimes they start without speaking English but they learn English, and they add vitality to our - to our country."
"The fact that he would say you can only say English is ridiculous," Bush continued. "He doesn't believe in tolerance, he doesn't believe in things that have created greatness of this country." He also noted that Trump has a contract with Univision to air the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants - although the future of that contract is uncertain. The Spanish-language network said it was opting out of airing the pageants, after Trump made derogatory remarks about Mexican immigrants, and Trump is suing them over the contract.
Trump told Breitbart News Wednesday that Bush "should really set the example by speaking English while in the United States."
Bush has stepped up his attacks on Trump in recent days, including telling reporters that Trump "no es conservador" - is not conservative.
"You laugh because it's so bizarre but it's hurtful for a lot of people, and Mr. Trump knows this," Bush said in the ABC interview Thursday. "He's appealing to people's angst and their fears rather than their higher hopes."
Bush learned to speak Spanish when he was young and met his wife, Columba Garnica de Gallo, in 1971 when he traveled to León, Mexico for a high school trip. He lived in Venezuela for two years and as Florida's governor, he frequently briefed the press in both English and Spanish.
Businesswoman Carly Fiorina, another GOP candidate, weighed in on the fight between the two candidates Thursday morning in an interview on CNN.
"I admire the fact that Jeb Bush is multilingual. I admire the fact that so many people are multilingual. And I also think that English is the official language of the United States," Fiorina said.
Asked if she thought Trump was being rude, she said, "Donald Trump has said many things that I don't agree with and a few that I do agree with. So I think it's fair to say that Mr. Trump is going to continue to do what Mr. Trump does - which is say all kinds of things, some of which are shocking, outrageous, and many of which people agree with because they're angry and frustrated."