Donald Trump said Tuesday night that he "can understand" why former President George H.W. Bush plans to vote for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in November, and said it's possible he might have decided to vote for Clinton as well if he were in Jeb Bush's shoes. "Look, I fought his son very hard. It was a very tough battle — Jeb, and Jeb lost. He was expected to win," Trump told Time Warner News prior to a rally in North Carolina Wednesday. "He was expected to be the nominee and he lost."
"We're leading all over, and we seem to be doing very well. But I fought him and it was a very nasty contest. It was very nasty and I can understand that," Trump said. "Frankly, if I were him, maybe I'd go that direction too. Look, Jeb Bush signed a pledge. He didn't honor the pledge. They say it was a very nasty contest and it certainly was."
"But Jeb Bush didn't and I can understand how the Bush family feels," Trump added. "He was supposed to win. He was supposed to be the nominee. Not only wasn't he, he wasn't the nominee, but he didn't do very well."
The 41st president reportedly he'd vote for Clinton during a reception for the Points of Light foundation in Kennebunkport, Maine, although a spokesman claims that he did not reveal who he will vote for.
The former president has been absent from the campaign trail even though his family was on the stump for the former governor. Bush's other son, former President George W. Bush, campaigned for his brother prior to the South Carolina primary, while his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, made multiple appearances in New Hampshire.
None of the Bushes attended the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer, but the 43rd president has been a constant presence in support of Senate candidates.
