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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), growing tired about speculation over a 2016 White House run and his relationship with one-time protégé Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), called the media a bunch of “crack addicts.”
“Man you guys are crack addicts. You really are obsessed with all these politics. Marco Rubio is a great guy,” Bush told NBC’s David Gregory, after the “Meet the Press” host asked him about who is Florida’s hottest politician.
Gregory was momentarily taken aback.
“Sir, I’ve been called a lot of things…” Gregory began before Bush amended his response.
“OK, heroin addict. Is that better?” Bush said.
Bush and Rubio are potential rivals in the 2016 Republican primary and there have been signs of friction between their two camps.
Bush authored a book in which he said he would oppose a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, a key element of an immigration reform blueprint by a bipartisan Senate group, which includes Rubio. Bush later reversed that position and said he would back a pathway in some situations.
Rubio later said he was “in the same place” as Bush on immigration reform and both were working to incentivize legal immigration over illegal.
Bush on Sunday sought to play down talk of an emerging rivalry by praising Rubio’s work on immigration reform.
“Put aside the politics for a moment. We’ve got big challenges and Marco Rubio to his credit are working on those,” he said.
