Jeb Bush, who joked during Thursday night's GOP presidential debate that
he missed Donald Trump because he was "a little teddy bear to me," said Friday that he did miss the New York billionaire's appearance on the stage.
"I wish he was there," the former Florida governor and GOP presidential candidate told
Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program. "I think people in Iowa wish he was there as well. I don't know how he thinks he was doing the right thing by not being there. But that's his decision.
"We had a substantive debate. The questions were good. The moderators did their job. And people got better insights on what people were thinking and the mettle of the candidates. That what's it should be about."
And as a result, Bush said he hopes that his debate performance helped change some minds, and he appreciates the chance to "talk about how we create a strategy to destroy ISIS and to focus on the things that people are concerned about here."
During the debate, Bush said his strategy for defeating the Islamic State's caliphate includes arming Kurds, embedding U.S. troops with the Iraqi military and reengaging with Sunni tribal leaders, and on Friday, he added that the rules of engagement must be loosened.
"The United States military will always adhere to the standards of warfare that are accepted by the world," said Bush. "But we shouldn't have additional conditions."
Trump held an
alternative event Thursday that netted $6 million for veterans, and Bush during the debate said one of his priorities as president would be to fix the Veterans' Administration system.
"Veterans are angry and disgusted by the lack of progress that has taken place," said Bush. "I have laid out a detailed plan. I know we can fix this, and the Congress will support any effort by a president that will take care of our veterans. I'm totally convinced of that."
Bush said he thought one of his strongest exchanges Thursday night was with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio about "the fact that you can't cut and run" on issues.
"The point is that you've got to believe what you believe and persuade people towards your cause," said Bush. "You can't cut and run whenever the pressure mounts. If it's hard to run, imagine what it will be like to be president if you're worried about how people think of things."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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