Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Sunday said he never made the statement attributed to him by
a friend in New York Magazine on Friday vowing to take down rival Jeb Bush, but he said Bush would make a horrible president.
"This Week" host George Stephanopoulos asked Trump about a quote attributed to a friend of his in which he said, "If I'm going down then Bush is going down with me. He's not going to be president of the United States."
Trump denied making the quote, saying it was the first he'd heard of it.
"That's totally false. I don't know where this comes from," Trump told "This Week." "I don't mind Jeb Bush. I think he's a nice person but I don't think he has the energy. You need energy for this job. You can't be soft."
If Bush became president, "good luck," Trump said. "It's another Bush. It's going to be the same old story."
According to the magazine story by Gabriel Sherman, Trump believes Bush had a role in him losing the television deal with Univision and another deal in Mexico because of his friendship with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim.
Trump was also asked about his immigration plan to round up all illegal immigrants, then expedite the legal return of those who don't have criminal backgrounds. Stephanopoulos repeatedly pressed Trump on specifics.
"George, it's called management," Trump said. My specifics are very simple. I'm going to get great people that know what they're doing, not a bunch of political hacks that have no idea what they're doing appointed by President Obama that doesn't have a clue."
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