'This is all dog-whistle talk': Jeb Bush unloads on Donald Trump after he suddenly canceled his Israel trip
Trump early Thursday morning postponed the trip, which had been scheduled to include a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The cancellation came just a day after Trump originally said he planned to visit the nation.
In an interview with Business Insider later Thursday, Bush wasn't surprised at the quick change of plans.
Bush said it was evidently clear why Netanyahu wouldn't want to meet with a US presidential candidate who is "endorsing a view that would be against his national-security interests."
Trump also faced backlash last week after he spoke before a gathering of Republican Jewish donors, after which he was accused of promoting "offensive stereotypes" toward Jews.
For his part, Trump told Fox News on Thursday that he postponed the visit until "after I become president" didn't want to put Netanyahu under any pressure.
"You know, he said, 'We have a meeting.' And he looks forward to the meeting and all of that. But I didn't want to put him under pressure, No. 1. I also did it because I'm in the midst of a very powerful campaign that's going very well and it was not that easy to do. So I would say lots of different reasons," Trump said when asked about the cancellation.
Bush and Trump have feuded prominently on the campaign trail this year, as Trump has surged in the GOP race largely at the expense of Bush. The former Florida governor has sought to expose Trump's inexperienced and supposed lack of seriousness as a potential commander-in-chief in recent weeks.
At the town-hall event, Bush joked that he had told his staff earlier in the day that he had "almost promised not to use his name today." But he couldn't resist. When one New Hampshire voter asked him his plan on immigration, he contrasted his view with Trump's stated goal of deporting the approximately 11 million people living in the country unlawfully.
"That's not a serious proposal. He's not a serious man," Bush said.
He added: "Pass that along, by the way. Because that'll get him upset."