Why Donald Trump is attacking George W. Bush about 9/11
Sunday saw a lot of jabs back and forth between Republican presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Jeb Bush, who are currently 1st聽and 5th聽 谤别蝉辫别肠迟颈惫别濒测.听
鈥�,鈥� Trump said in an interview with 鈥楩ox News Sunday.鈥櫬犫�淏ut I don鈥檛 want Jeb Bush to say, 鈥� My brother kept us safe,鈥� because September 11 was one of the worst days in the history of this country,鈥澛�
鈥淟ook, my brother responded to a crisis, and he did it as you would hope a president would do,鈥� Bush told in a Sunday interview on 鈥楽tate of the Union.鈥� 鈥淭he great majority of Americans believe that. And I don鈥檛 know why he [Trump] keeps bringing this up.鈥澛�
Then , Trump criticized Jeb Bush for coming to his brother鈥檚 defense. 鈥淛eb Bush should stop trying to defend his brother and focus on his own shortcomings and how to fix them.鈥�
Pinning Jeb Bush to his brother's record may be a winning tactic for Trump.
If Jeb defends his brother鈥檚 foreign policy and political decisions, as he has done, he opens the door for criticism from not only Democrats, but also serious Republican competition.聽
Fellow Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who is currently polling 3rd in the GOP race, is one of many competitors already using Jeb鈥檚 family name against him. Rubio says it鈥檚 鈥渢ime to turn the page鈥� and replace family legacy with fresh political leaders.聽聽
But if Jeb ignores Trump鈥檚 jabs at his brother, then he risks alienating a distinct population of voters. After the last Republican debate, a suggested that more than 80 percent of Republicans believe George W. Bush did a 鈥榞ood鈥� or 鈥榚xcellent鈥� job 鈥榢eeping the US safe while president.鈥櫬�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge miscalculation, on Donald Trump鈥檚 part, of the appetite of Republican primary voters, to believe that somehow [Bush] is to blame for 9/11,鈥� , who directed advertising for George Bush鈥檚 reelection campaign, told the Washington Post. 鈥淭o Republican primary voters, it鈥檚 simple: He kept us safe because he was tough, he had an immediate response.鈥�
And Trump initiated this feud at a weak point in Jeb鈥檚 campaign.
In a CBS poll last week, Bush鈥檚 favorability rating has slipped 11 points since August, and of Republicans hold an 鈥榰nfavorable鈥� view of the presidential candidate.
But Trump also uses the accusations to advance his own campaign and ask the question: How would President Trump have prevented 9/11?聽
He cites his immigration policy, of course.
鈥淪omebody says 鈥榳ell it wouldn鈥檛 have been any different鈥� 鈥� well it would have been. I am extremely, extremely tough on illegal immigration,鈥� Trump said Sunday. 鈥淚 believe that if I were running things, I doubt those families would have 鈥� I doubt that those people would have been in the country.鈥�
Although all 19 hijackers in the 9/11 attacks were in the US聽, a 9/11 commission report acknowledged serious flaws in the system that granted their applications.聽
During his interview, Trump continued to reiterate that he鈥檚 鈥渆xtremely, extremely tough on immigration,鈥� while sidestepping direct accusations.
鈥溾�� He asked聽Sunday. 鈥淎ll I know is that the Twin Towers came down, and I was there.鈥�
