Speaking to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush on Thursday’s Today, NBC’s Matt Lauer did his best to play up Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on his fellow Republican throughout the Republican presidential primary.
During the one-on-one interview, Lauer told Bush “your resume and your pedigree are perfect for the job of president” but wondered “after several months in the race, you're losing in the polls to the host of Celebrity Apprentice. How do you get your arms around that?”
After Lauer told Bush that his resume was “perfect for the job of president," Bush thanked the NBC host for the compliment and allowed the NBC host to list off his qualifications:
You come from a family with a long history of public service. Your dad was president. Your brother was president. You were a successful governor in a very important state, Florida. You know education, immigration. You’re fluent in Spanish. And after deliberating for a long time, you decide to get in the race right now. And I don't mean to be funny about this. And after several months in the race, you're losing in the polls to the host of Celebrity Apprentice. How do you get your arms around that?
The NBC host continued to play up Trump’s attacks on Bush and pointed out how “[h]e talks a lot about you on the campaign trail, not usually in glowing terms. Are his comments having an affect on you and your campaign?” Lauer pointed out the criticisms against Bush and claimed “it’s ironic that this established candidate comes along, and you enter the race in a year it seems voters want anything but an established candidate.”
Earlier in the segment, Lauer went so far as to tout how “Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior aide to President Obama said last week on Twitter ‘If Jeb's last name was Walker, he'd be out of the race by now.”’ For his part, Bush pushed back and noted that Pfeiffer is a “liberal Democrat” and rejected the NBC host’s decision to quote a Democrat as evidence that his campaign was in trouble.
See relevant transcript below.
NBC’s Today
October 1, 2015
MATT LAUER: Let me talk about polling. They're not perfect but they give us a snapshot of where a race is at a particular moment. Your polling is not good right now. You entered the race and had 23% of support in April. Now, you're doing to 7%. What's happening?
JEB BUSH: Well, 23% was probably an aberration but nevertheless, we're working for the long haul. We've got a great campaign organization in the four February states. I'm campaigning hard. We're talking about leadership and the need to fix a few big complex things. I'm the candidate that's unveiling policy initiatives, that gives people a sense that we can fix these things. I'm confident I'm going to be the Republican nominee.
LAUER: Despite what I said a second ago about the money you raised in this quarter, the Wall Street Journal had an article recently quoting sources inside the party as saying your donors are getting nervous. They're getting nervous about these falling numbers and they’re worried that you might not be the place for them to put their money. Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior aide to President Obama said last week on Twitter “If Jeb's last name was Walker, he'd be out of the race by now.”
BUSH: Well, I would like to have Mr. Pfeiffer be a supporter of mine, except he's a liberal Democrat. So the simple fact is we're on the right track. We have a national campaign. I have a policy shop that's great. I'm campaigning hard. And I think if you ask me in December where we stand when it matters, I will be a contender for sure.
LAUER: Couple of questions about the frontrunner, Donald Trump. First of all, his comments on those Syrian refugees overnight. Saying if he wins, those who come to this country from Syria are going back. What's your response to that?
BUSH: I think that’s a horrible thing. He also said that he supported Putin's activity in Syria, and that Assad is worth supporting, compared to ISIS. I think we need to have a strategy to deal with both of these evil forces. And the idea that you would send back refugees, when in American history has that ever happened? We have to stand for certain values. And Mr. Trump either doesn't have a sense of history about American values or doesn't care about them. Either way, it's wrong.
LAUER: He talks a lot about you on the campaign trail, not usually in glowing terms. Are his comments having an affect on you and your campaign?
BUSH: Not at all. Not at all. In fact, I think it's a great way to compare and contrast. Look, I have a proven record of leadership. And I have 32 years in the private sector, not as grandiose as his, but building a successful business from the ground up. My record is one that people should have confidence, that I can sit behind the big desk and make the big decisions.
LAUER: Let me ask you about that because clearly, your resume and your pedigree are perfect for the job of president.
BUSH: Thanks Matt.
LAUER: You come from a family with a long history of public service. Your dad was president. Your brother was president. You were a successful governor in a very important state, Florida. You know education, immigration. You’re fluent in Spanish. And after deliberating for a long time, you decide to get in the race right now. And I don't mean to be funny about this. And after several months in the race, you're losing in the polls to the host of Celebrity Apprentice. How do you get your arms around that?
BUSH: It doesn't matter to me in October because when we get closer to February, people want to know, does he care about me? Does he have ideas to lift me up? Does he have the leadership skills to fix these things? That's always been the way it works in politics. In October of eight years ago, John McCain was by himself in an Atlanta airport. I was there, as well. I gave him a hug and I said what's going on, man? He had no support and he won the nomination because he worked hard and he had great ideas, and he showed his heart.
LAUER: And by the way, I want to mention there's more to Donald Trump's resume than that show, but it's ironic that this established candidate comes along, and you enter the race in a year it seems voters want anything but an established candidate.
BUSH: Well, I'm not an established candidate as it relates to D.C. I was a disrupter in Florida, and I'll be a disrupter in Washington, D.C., as well. The fact that I have experience in governing successfully in a swing state should be a virtue, not a vice.
LAUER: He always says you got low energy, you got low energy, low energy. Do you have the passion, Governor Bush, to fight the long fight and be president?
BUSH: Matt, you need to get out of here and follow me. Come with me to see the town hall meeting I had last night, for example, in front of 250 people. You'll see that I’ve got the passion and energy. I’m all in on this. I'm working 16 hours a day. I love it. I'm connecting well with people, and I'm going to win.
