Jeb Bush, Trump find common ground on Iran after bitter 2016 rivalry
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Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush credited his former political foe President Donald Trump’s “historic leadership” in pushing for a nuclear-free and democratized Iran and said his current organization – United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) – is ready to help Trump and the Iranian people against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
When Trump entered presidential politics in 2015, he found his biggest rival in the former Florida governor; The Republican scion, who specifically called him “Low Energy Jeb,” countered that the emperor “can’t insult his way to the presidency.”
A detente between the two emerged this week, with Bush praising Trump’s stance after the president encouraged Iranian “patriots” [to] Keep protesting.”
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Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump (left) and Jeb Bush participate in the presidential debates at the Reagan Library on September 16, 2015 in Simi Valley, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“Take over your institutions. Hide the names of murderers and abusers. They will pay a high price,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.
“President Trump continues to demonstrate historic leadership on Iran by providing unprecedented support to the Iranian people who face bullets for freedom. As UANI, we join him in standing with the brave people of Iran.”
Bush co-runs UANI with former Ambassador Mark Wallace, the ex-husband of MS-NOW host Nicolle Wallace and a prominent diplomat in Bush’s brother’s White House.
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“UANI applauds President Trump’s unprecedented support for the Iranian people as they fight to take back their country,” Bush and Wallace said in a statement. he said.
“For too long, the United States and the West have been ambivalent about supporting the Iranian people in the face of the Ayatollah’s violence and oppression.”
“President Trump’s post made clear that the United States and the West will no longer lack the moral clarity to support the Iranian people as they face bullets for freedom. This change is historic.”
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Donald Trump, left. Jeb Bush, right. (Frederic Brown/Getty Images)
Trump has been praised for taking a tougher stance against Iran than recent presidents and for canceling talks with Tehran leaders after reports emerged of them shooting and killing protesters in the streets.
“UANI joins President Trump and stands with the brave people of Iran in their fight against the Ayatollah,” Bush and Wallace said. he added.
Their group is a non-profit, non-partisan group founded to combat threats posed by Iran.
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The tone between the two Republican powerhouses is a marked change from the tumultuous 2016 election.
At the time, Trump frequently mocked Bush for his family’s involvement in the race, and was said to have said, “Your mother can’t help you with ISIS” after former First Lady Barbara Bush cut a campaign ad for her son.
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“Donald is great at one-liners,” Bush joked during a 2015 debate. “But he is a candidate for chaos.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the two leaders’ new common ground.
On Iran, a senior administration official said the administration supports the Iranian people against the regime’s ongoing human rights violations and authoritarian crackdown, and that the regime is one of the worst human rights abusers in the world; He puts pressure on his people to maintain his power.
