Jeb Bush will meet this week with the Republican presidential hopefuls who are vying to be the alternative to GOP front-runner Donald Trump, the former Florida governor’s spokeswoman said.
Bush will meet with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday in Miami, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Thursday, before the candidates meet for CNN’s presidential debate. The meetings come as Bush still mulls whether he will endorse any candidate before Florida’s all important primary Tuesday.
The meetings were requested by the other candidates, according to Kristy Campbell, the Bush spokeswoman.
The meetings were first reported by the New York Times.
A spokeswoman for Cruz declined to comment, and a spokesman for Rubio did not immediately return a request for comment. A spokeperson for Kasich’s campaign confirmed the meeting but would not disclose any additional details.
Bush dropped out of the presidential race last month after a disappointing performance in South Carolina’s primary.
Bush and Trump fought openly throughout last year and 2016’s primary season, most visibly during the debates preceding the early voting states.
Trump isn’t impressed by the meetings. In a statement through a spokeswoman, the billionaire businessman said: “These guys cannot defeat one person, Donald Trump. How do they think they are going to defeat ISIS, or the Chinese, or the Russians? Perhaps instead of spending their time trying to stop me, we should all come together to stop Hillary and Make America Great Again.”
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