Republicans worried Donald Trump could jump ship, run as a third-party candidate and take GOP voters with him may have reason to breathe just a little easier.
During a Friday radio interview with Steve Malzberg on The Steve Malzberg Show, Donald Trump gave tentative support to Jeb Bush in the event Bush won the Republican nominee for president.
“Let me ask you about Jeb Bush,” said Malzberg. “The third-party option you’re leaving open …”
“The door is open – not that I want to use that door,” interrupted Trump. “Because I don’t want to use it.”
“I know that, but let me be specific,” Malzberg said. “You’ve said some bad things about various candidates, but Jeb Bush in particular. If Jeb Bush gets the nomination, can you see yourself supporting him, or would you be more likely to run third party if it were Jeb Bush?”
“I can’t say yet,” replied Trump. “It’s too early. I could certainly see myself supporting him because I think he’s a good person, but I’ve expressed difficulty with Jeb. He’s in favor of Common Core, which is a disaster. He’s very weak on immigration – very very weak on illegal immigrants coming into the country – very weak, and that bothers me … so Jeb has some big problems. Between Common Core and weak on the immigration and other things, he’s got some problems. I like him … I think he’s a nice person … but we need a person with high energy to turn this country around. High high energy.”
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Trump cautiously praised most of his fellow GOP contenders as people he genuinely liked, though he specified areas in which he disagreed with their platforms or policies.
This is not the first time Trump expressed concerns over Bush’s immigration stance. Trump rose in the public estimation over his blunt comments regarding illegals crossing the border, and his refusal to back down from his statements even after heavy criticism. His willingness to address the hot-button issue shot him ahead in the polls as he tapped into the frustration so many American feel over politicians’ wishy-washy policies on border control.
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Trump is by no means handing over the candidacy toward Bush. During the week he spoke disparagingly about Jeb’s weakness on immigration and penchant for sanctuary cities. He also released a tweet: “Enough is enough – no more Bushes.”
