Jeb touts his authenticity: ‘I’m comfortable in my own skin’
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Friday said he believed voters were looking for “authenticity” and joked that Abraham Lincoln would have been undone by today’s political consultant class.
“I get a lot of advice these days. Wow, do I get a lot of advice,” The Republican presidential candidate said, according to CNN.
{mossecondads}”If Abraham Lincoln was president of the United States today, his handlers would say, ‘Get rid of the top hat.’ The opposition research guys would probably say, ‘Hey, he was a 10-time loser before he was 50.’ They would demonize this guy, and he was one of our greatest presidents,” he continued.
“The simple fact is, you got to be who you are, and I know who I am. My compass points north. I’m comfortable in my own skin. And I believe that what people are looking for is authenticity.”
His comments come after an underwhelming performance in Wednesday’s GOP presidential debate and the announcement that his campaign would trim its operations.
Bush attempted to attack his former protege, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), at the CNBC debate this week, but he was aggressively rebuffed. Many donors and supporters say Bush’s tepid performance thus far in the race isn’t reflective of the man they know.
Bush, who was originally seen as a front-runner in the race but has since struggled with the rise of Donald Trump in the polls, also had to downsize his campaign’s operations this week. The staff at his Miami headquarters will now be limited and salaries have been cut back for many workers.
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