By initiating a flame war on Twitter, Jeb Bush has sought to take on Donald Trump on The Donald’s own home turf. But can he succeed? And perhaps more important, what does it say about our political system that the race to be leader of the free world can devolve to a bout of online insults?
Bush first posted this photo on Monday, showing an autographed newspaper that demonstrated Trump’s past support for none other than Nancy Pelosi:
Who’s the real @realDonaldTrump? He donated to sanctuary city supporting @NancyPelosi and called her “The Greatest.” pic.twitter.com/px89v3TeG5
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) August 31, 2015
Then on Tuesday the Bush campaign posted this video, rounding up Trump’s political statements from the late 1990s — the first time he flirted with (or threatened) a potential run for president — to the present day. Trump can be heard voicing liberal positions on abortion, single-payer health care, and raising taxes on the rich, plus issuing praise for Hillary Clinton and even saying he was in many ways a Democrat.
Trump then fired back on two fronts — first with a tweet predicting doom for Jeb, and also getting in a dig on Jeb’s massive fundraising
Yet another weak hit by a candidate with a failing campaign. Will Jeb sink as low in the polls as the others who have gone after me?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2015
Jeb is spending millions of dollars on “hit” ads funded by lobbyists & special interests. Bad system.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2015
While millions are being spent against me in attack ads, they are paid for by the “bosses” and “owners” of candidates. I am self funding.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2015
Then later in the afternoon, the Trump campaign posted this video on Instagram, combining praise for both Hillary and Bill Clinton from not only Jeb — but also from his very unpopular older brother, George W. Bush. Also note The Donald’s extra message:
A video posted by Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on
