Jeb Bush makes stop in Carson City

Former Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush said he is not concerned with billionaire and reality television star Donald Trump’s recent surge in the polls at a campaign stop in Carson City Friday.

Around 200 people packed the auditorium of the Silver State Charter School to hear the Republican share his message, which included an increased presence in the Middle East, criticism of Democratic President Barack Obama’s deal with Iran and fiscal responsibility. After the event, a reporter began to ask a question about Trump, causing Bush to simply remark, “Oh, my God,” before she finished her question.

Current polls show Trump, the star of the recently canceled NBC series The Apprentice, with a slight edge. A USA Today poll from July 15 shows Trump with a three-point lead over Bush — within the 5.25 percent margin of error.

Bush, when asked about the recent polls, said he was confident he was going to win given his message.

“It is within the margin of error, man,” he said. “We have a long way to go. It’s the old cliché, this is a marathon and not a sprint.”

Many pundits were more than questioning of the validity of Trump’s campaign after his announcement. The Huffington Post announced Friday it would cover Trump in its entertainment section rather than as part of its political coverage.

Bush criticized other GOP candidates for playing on people’s legitimate fears — such as terrorism, immigration and the economy — but did not outright name Trump during the event.

“Getting angrier is not going to solve how we control the border,” he said. “Getting angrier is not going to make it possible for more jobs to be created in our country. Getting angrier is not going to do anything to keep us safe.”

However, Michael Zola of Carson City said having Trump in the race is good for the discussion.

“He’s one of those guys who calls a spade a spade and doesn’t sugarcoat anything, which is refreshing to the American people as a whole,” he said. “He just blurts it out there and tells it like it is, black and white. He’s not articulate, and he doesn’t care about that part.”

J.P. Smith of Incline Village said Trump was more of a distraction and sent the wrong kind of message.

“Every time Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump go ahead and break wind, it makes headlines,” he said. “It isn’t that they’re saying anything that’s relevant, it’s just that they’re doing what Gov. Bush talked about with through the angry birds. All they’re doing is making noise while he’s talking about substance.”

The former governor called for solidarity and inclusion and pledged to be the “happy warrior” during the campaign. He said he wants to reach outside of traditional conservative strongholds, such as in the Latino and black communities and on college campuses.

“The way you win is you draw people towards your cause, you don’t push people away,” he said. “You don’t run a campaign of grievance where you’re pushing people aside, where your form of conservative thought is slightly better than another person’s conservative thought.”

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