Ask Jeb Bush’s son about what role the family name will play in his father’s presidential bid, and he makes some surprising news:
“After years – or months – of deliberation, Dad has decided to change his name to Jeb Bruzofski,” he said.
Jeb Bush Jr. is kidding, of course. But in an interview with CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger before his father’s announcement, Jeb Jr. also spoke seriously about what it’s like to be part of the next wave of the Bush dynasty.
“We’re extremely proud of my grandparents and my Uncle George and Aunt Laura and their service to this country,” Bush said, adding he believes his father will convince voters to overlook any dynastic concerns.
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“He is going to … show people that he is his own man and has his own vision and views of how to move the country forward,” Jeb Jr. said. “He’s going to be running towards his record, he’s going to be running towards his accomplishments.”
Whether one of those accomplishments should include the presidency was the subject of a family discussion – at a holiday dinner table, as it turns out.
“This past Thanksgiving, we all got together in Mexico, which was a fantastic time – with all the grandkids and the whole family – and we had a candid conversation,” Jeb Bush Jr. said. “It came up a little bit that dad was seriously considering it and, you know, we love him so we’re all in for him.”
The fact that the gathering took place in Mexico might have been especially appropriate for Jeb Bush Sr. who decades earlier had another life-changing experience there. While on a high school exchange program, he met the daughter of a farmer named Columba who would eventually become his wife.
Jeb Bush's life
“It was head-over-heels in love; it was l-lose-20-pounds-in-three-weeks in love; I-couldn’t-sleep-in-love, it was a transformative event in my life,” Bush recently said of the early romance.
But while he was able to win her hand in marriage, he wasn’t able to sell her on politics.
“Mom hates politics, she’s not a huge fan of it, which probably makes her the only sane person in the family,” Jeb Jr. said. While Columba served as first lady of Florida, it wasn’t clear if she was willing to wade into public life again – especially on a national level.
What made her change her mind?
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“I think it’s just out of love for Dad,” Jeb Jr. said. “I know she’ll be there to support Dad 110%.”
And there is one bit of visible evidence of that support, Jeb Jr. says: His father’s wardrobe.
“He’s a horrible dresser, the guy has polo shirts that are older than me probably. He’s not focused on his looks, although Mom takes care of him on that front – try to dress him up and make sure he looks, I guess, presentable,” he said.
But what his father lacks in fashion sense he makes up for in work ethic, Jeb Bush Jr. adds.
“Dad is the hardest working person I’ve ever met. Without a doubt, I mean the guy is a total grinder,” he said. “He loves to work, it’s what he does.”
It doesn’t mean, though, that Jeb Bush Sr. doesn’t have a lighter side too. His favorite movie, according to Jeb Bush Jr. – “Talladega Nights.”
A fact, his son jokingly admits, is “terribly embarrassing.”