A mention of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), a potential 2016 presidential contender, brought boos from a conservative crowd in New Hampshire on Saturday.
Speaking at the New Hampshire Freedom Summit, a gathering of conservative activists and figures organized by Americans for Prosperity and Citizens United, billionaire Donald Trump said Bush’s recent comments on immigrants coming to the U.S. as an “act of love” were “out there.”
“You know, I heard Jeb Bush the other day,” he said, with quiet boos and angry murmurs erupting from the crowd at the mention of Bush’s name.
“And he was talking about people that come into this country illegally, they do it for love,” he continued, with the boos growing louder.
Trump added, to laughter from the crowd: “And I said, say it again I didn’t get — that’s one I’ve never heard before…I understand what he’s saying, but, you know, it’s out there.”
Bush drew considerable conservative backlash when he made the comments in a recent interview, but defended them at a Connecticut Republican Party dinner on Thursday, where he further urged “sensitivity to the immigrant experience.”
Bush and Trump are both mulling a potential presidential run in 2016. Bush has consistently polled in the top four of the prospective GOP presidential field, while Trump is typically not included in surveys of the race.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/...-conservatives