In Spanish, Jeb Bush recounts his children were taunted for their skin tone
*Jeb Bush went on Telemundo for a 30 minute interview in Spanish. His fluency is impressive (I know, when a Latino writes those words they sound condescending …). Do you think it matters? I’m not asking if you’ll vote for him because he speaks Spanish, his approval rating among Latinos is 26 percent against Hillary Clinton’s 71 percent. But I am asking if his Spanish prompts you to take a second look. VL
By Ed O’Keefe, The Washingtn Post
Jeb Bush speaks frequently about the time he met his wife as a high school exchange student in Mexico. But he rarely does so in Spanish. And rarely has he spoken about the taunts his own children faced for the color of their skin growing up as half-Hispanic children in Florida.
[pullquote]The political benefit of such an appearance might not be known for several months.[/pullquote]On Monday, Bush spoke in deeply personal terms about his family’s Hispanic heritage — and did so entirely in Spanish, providing a strong contrast with the recent rhetoric of Donald Trump, whether intentional or not. He also vowed to enact comprehensive immigration reform during his first term as president — a significant priority for a Spanish-speaking audience and a pledge that he noted President Obama also made, but failed to achieve.
In an interview with Telemundo, Bush sat for roughly 25 minutes answering questions from anchor Jose Diaz-Balart, who also hosts a daytime program on MSNBC. The exchange began by reminding viewers that Bush’s wife, Columba, is from Mexico, and that his children are bilingual and bicultural.
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[Photo courtesy of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library]
