Jeb Bush Shifts Strategy to Go After Trump

In risky move, Bush decides to fight back directly
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 2, 2015 6:42 AM CDT

This could get interesting: The big political headlines of the day are focusing on how Jeb Bush has decided to shift strategy and return fire on Donald Trump. ("Jeb Bush Takes Gloves Off" is the entry in the Wall Street Journal.) The fight so far is mostly via videos: Bush released this one that compiles previous comments from Trump in which he praises Hillary Clinton, voices support for abortion rights, and talks about identifying as a Democrat. But Time notes that Team Bush also got "strikingly personal" in this online quiz that wonders whether people want a "germophobe when it comes to shaking hands" as their candidate, a knock against Trump's phobia. Trump responded with a video of his own that highlights the Bush family praising the Clintons, and it follows one on Monday that mocks Bush's comments on immigrants.

"He attacks me every day. He attacks me every day with barbarities," Bush said in Spanish while visiting Miami yesterday, reports the Washington Post. "They're not true. What we did today was to put out in his words to show that he's not conservative." Slate points out that Trump seems to relish counterattacks, and he's skilled at them. The bigger risk to Bush is "long term," however, writes Josh Voorhees. If Bush makes an enemy of Trump—who "doesn't suffer slights in silence"—it might push Trump to seek revenge by running as an independent, something that would likely mean victory for the Democrats. "If Jeb has to tear down The Donald to win the Republican primary, then, he's more likely to find Trump still standing in his way come the general election." (More Jeb Bush 2016 stories.)

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