Jeb: Trump playing the media ‘like a fiddle’

Jeb Bush says fellow GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump is playing the media “like a fiddle” to bolster the real estate mogul’s White House bid.

{mosads}“He knows what he’s saying. He’s smart. He’s playing you guys like a fiddle, the press, by saying outrageous things and garnering attention,” Bush, a former Florida governor, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “That’s his strategy, to dominate the news.”

Bush also accused Trump of “playing on people’s fears” with over-the-top rhetoric on Muslims living in the country.

“He doesn’t talk about the issues at hand that are of national security importance for our country,” Bush said on Sunday. “To keep us safe is the first priority of the president, and he’s all over the map, mis-informed at best and praying on people’s fears at worst.”

Trump previously said America will have “absolutely no choice” but to spy on mosques in the country in order to root out domestic terrorism plots. He also appeared to be open to the idea of creating a national registry to keep track of Muslims living in the country, but has since renounced the idea.

Bush said he will still support Trump if he wins the party’s nomination, but admitted the prospect of a Trump presidency is “kind of scary.”

“I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt to see how the campaign unfolded,” Bush said. “But if you listen to him talk, it’s kind of scary to be honest with you, because he’s not a serious candidate.”

“Look, I’ve said – because anybody is better than Hillary Clinton, let me just be clear about that. But I have grave doubts about Donald Trump’s ability to be commander in chief,” he added.