Donald Trump ripped the Bush dynasty 33 times in a 35-minute interview
In a new Washington Post story published Thursday, Trump not only trashed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), a rival in the presidential race, but also his brother and father: former Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush.
According to the report, the Republican businessman "unleashed a hailstorm of scorn" against the Bushes in a 35-minute discussion. The paper's tabulation said he "found 33 ways to skewer the family - about one put-down per minute."
Here's a sampling:
Trump on Jeb Bush
I mean, this guy. I don't think he has a clue. ... He's not up to snuff. ... Jeb is never going to bring us to the promised land. He can't.
Trump on George W. Bush
He didn't seem smart. I'd watch him in interviews and I'd look at people and ask, 'Do you think he understands the question?'
Trump on George H.W. Bush, Jeb Bush's father
I really liked the father - really like him as a person. But I hated his 'read my lips, no more taxes,' and then he raised taxes monstrously.
These are all variations of jabs Trump frequently takes against the Bush clan on the campaign trail.
Trump constantly skewers Jeb Bush for supposedly being a "low-energy" person, lacking negotiation skills, having weak positions on immigration, and more.
In his interview with The Post, Trump further attacked Bush for his "no-show" job at Lehman Brothers, the now-defunct investment bank that collapsed under the weight of toxic securities during the 2008 financial crisis.
"This is huge. Let me ask you: Why would you pay a man $1.3 million a year for a no-show job at Lehman Brothers - which, when it failed, almost took the world with it?" Trump asked.
Reached for a response, Bush campaign spokesman Tim Miller told The Post that Trump was "trafficking in false conspiracy theories" and blasted his past support for Democratic causes.
"While Trump was attending New York liberal cocktail parties and trashing conservatives and Republican Presidents any chance he got," Miller told the newspaper, "Jeb was the most conservative governor in the country, cutting taxes, reining in the size of government, and protecting life."