President Donald Trump "should stop saying things that aren't true, that are distractions from the task at hand,"Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told CBS Miami's "Facing South Florida" in an interview that aired on Sunday.
"He's a distraction in and of himself," he said. "He's got a lot of work to do, and some of these things – the wiretapping and all of this stuff – is a complete distraction that makes it harder to accomplish the things I know he wants to do."
The former governor said that the office of the president has been tarnished "a little bit" by Trump’s behavior.
Bush, who competed in the Republican presidential primaries against Trump, said that the real estate mogul "hasn't shifted to being president in the way that people are used to, and I think that's the problem … I hope he learns that it's one thing to do it as a candidate… and another thing when you’re a president your words have consequences that go way beyond that."
While criticizing the president, Bush also said that Trump has a great opportunity to accomplish important work for the country and could win over a skeptical public by concentrating on what needs to be done.
"The president made some really good appointments" to his Cabinet, Bush said, and ,"He's acted decisively on some areas I think are important, particularly on the regulatory side."
Bush said that he did not regret his own failed campaign for president, saying that "Reasoning, in this environment where people are angry, is hard, and I wasn't capable of giving them a sense that there is a better path."
He added that the public is choosing "their news to validate what they believe, and it makes them increasingly less tolerant of other people's views that rely on another set of facts. That is dangerous for our democracy."
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