As Jeb Bush begins to pull together early supporters for his potential presidential campaign, he can go ahead and cross Donald Trump off his list.
In an interview with ABC News, Trump said the former Republican governor of Florida is the “last thing” the country needs in a presidential candidate.
“I’m a Republican, the last thing we need right now is another Bush,” Trump said. “I saw when he released 250,000 emails I said, ‘What are we children? Is this a game? You release every email?’ This is the problem with this country, whether it's political correctness or whatever, so the last thing we need right now is for that to happen.”
Jeb Bush Will 'Actively Explore the Possibility of Running for President' 5 Ways Jeb Bush's 2016 Announcement Will Shift the Presidential Landscape Donald Trump 'Very Strongly' Considering 2016 Presidential BidBush, 61, announced on Tuesday that he will "actively explore the possibility of running for president of the United States." The announcement came just two days after Bush said he would release all emails from his two terms as the governor of Florida.
Trump offered a potential alternative to a Bush candidacy: a Trump candidacy. Asked if he is considering running for president himself in 2016, Trump said he is “looking at it.”
“I am looking at it very, very seriously. If I decide to do it I will do it,” he said.
Trump’s criticism of Bush should perhaps come as no surprise, since the real estate mogul was also an outspoken critic of his brother, former President George W. Bush.
But Trump’s disapproval of former President Bush is second to his dislike of President Obama.
“I think they both did a very terrible job,” Trump said. “I thought Bush was a terrible president. I thought he did a terrible job. He got us involved in Iraq which we shouldn't have been in and frankly destabilized the entire Middle East and beyond. And I thought he did a terrible job and I thought his last month was a catastrophe because there was collapsing all over the place. I think Barack Obama was a step worse. I think we've had two terrible presidents.”
ABC News’ Richard Coolidge contributed to this report.