Jeb Bush is backing away from his proposal to put Margaret Thatcher on the $10 bill, saying he would instead outsource the decision to voters.
{mosads}“I would give it up to — on the Internet and let people decide this,” Bush said in an interview with NBC News on Thursday. “That would generate a lot of interest. It could create all sorts of opportunities for math teachers to teach math, for social studies teachers to do the same. You could have an avalanche of interest in picking the woman that should be on the $10 bill.”
Bush said at the second main-stage GOP primary debate on Wednesday that he would put the former British prime minister on the bill, an honor normally reserved for Americans.
“I would go with Ronald Reagan’s partner, Margaret Thatcher — probably illegal, but what the heck?” Bush said.
“A strong leader is what we need in the White House, and she certainly was a strong leader that restored the United Kingdom to greatness,” he added.
The Department of Treasury announced in June that it would seek to put a woman on the $10 bill, currently graced by Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasury secretary and an early pioneer of the national banking system. The four finalists for the spot on the bill are former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, abolitionist Harriet Tubman, civil rights activist Rosa Parks and Native American chief Wilma Mankiller.
The decision sparked outrage among traditionalists, who believe Hamilton should remain on the bill.