Jeb Bush issued a strong defense for his brother, former President George W. Bush, after Donald Trump attacked him at Wednesday night's GOP debate, saying, "he kept us safe."
Bush slammed Trump for comments he once made about Hillary Clinton being the best negotiator to deal with Iran, saying his "lack of judgment and the lack of understanding about how the world works is really dangerous."
Trump didn't take kindly to Bush's attack and responded with a slam on his brother's low approval ratings toward the end of 2008 that helped Barack Obama sail to an election rout over Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.).
"Look, if you think about it, your brother and your brother's administration gave us Barack Obama, because it was such a disaster those last three months that Abraham Lincoln couldn't have been elected," Trump said.
"You know what? As it relates to my brother, there's one thing I know for sure. He kept us safe," Bush said to raucous applause. "You remember the rubble? You remember the firefighter with his arm around him? He sent a clear signal that the United States would be strong and fight Islamic terrorism, and he did keep us safe."
"I don't know," Trump said. "You feel safe right now? I don't feel so safe."
Gov. Scott Walker jumped in afterwards and said Trump might not feel safe because of the Obama administration rather than the Bush administration. Bush and Trump have repeatedly clashed at an often chippy GOP debate, mirroring the animosity between the two campaigns over the course of the summer. Trump has led consistently in polls, something he doesn't fail to remind audiences and opponents of at any opportunity.
Trump has often derided Bush for being "low-energy," while Bush has fired back that Trump resorts to insults instead of specific policy.