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Jeb Bush appears at the Libre Forum in North Las Vegas
Bush digs himself into a humorous hole when he explains who his favorite Marvel superhero is
(CNN) —
“Supergirl” star Melissa Benoist got word that Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush called her “pretty hot.”
“I don’t know what to think about it,” the actress said in between laughs in an interview with “CBS This Morning.
But she added that she’s glad that the former Florida Gov. is “excited to watch the show,” Benoist added.
Last week Bush was thrown a softball while speaking at an event in Las Vegas after nearly an hourlong discussion on serious policy:
Who is your favorite Marvel superhero?
Bush was amused that he was being asked the question but struggled to come up with an immediate answer. And then, as he confessed after the fact, dug himself into a hole.
“I like watching the movies. I wish I owned Marvel, as someone that believes in capitalism,” Bush said, speaking at the Libre Forum in North Las Vegas.
“I don’t know, I’m kinda old school,” he continued. “I like the old school guys like Batman, a little dark these days.”
But then he kept going, saying that he saw an ad for the new CBS show “Supergirl” featuring former “Glee” actress Melissa Benoist.
“I saw it when I was working out this morning,” he said. “She looked kinda … she looked pretty hot. I don’t know which channel it’s on, but I’m looking forward to that.”
He paused, letting the audience laugh, then added: “That’ll make news.”
Supergirl, it should be noted, is a character from Marvel’s rival comic universe DC, as is Batman.
It was a moment of levity for the audience after listening to Bush talk about his plans to grow the economy and tackle complicated issues such as immigration, the debt, and foreign relations with Latin America.
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President Barack Obama (left) speaks about Bush (center) while visiting Miami Central Senior High School on March 4, 2011 in Miami, Florida. The visit focused on education.
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Then-Texas Governor Rick Perry (center) testifies as Bush (right) and then-Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (left) listen during a hearing before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill October 19, 2005.
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Then-President George W. Bush (right) is greeted by Jeb Bush on March 21, 2001, at Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida. President Bush was in Orlando to attend the American College of Cardiology Annual Convention.
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Jeb Bush (left) and then-President George W. Bush stand with their arms around each other's shoulders at a rally in Miami, Florida, September 22, 2000.
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Then-President George W. Bush (right) and Jeb Bush go through the line for strawberries during a stop at the Stawberry Festival March 12, 2000 in Plant City, Florida.
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The Bush family, (left to right) former U.S. President George W., former Florida Governor Jeb, former President George H.W. and his wife Barbara, watch play during the Foursomes matches September 25, 1999 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts the site of the 33rd Ryder Cup Matches.
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Former President George H.W. Bush (second left), his wife Barbara Bush (left), their son Jeb Bush (center), then-first lady Hillary Clinton (second right), and former then-President Bill Clinton (right) look up to see the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team November 6, 1997 at the conclusion of the dedication ceremony of the George Bush Library in College Station, Texas.
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Portrait of the Bush family in front of their Kennebunkport, Maine house August 24, 1986. Pictured, back row: Margaret holding daughter Marshall, Marvin Bush, Bill LeBlond. Pictured, front row: Neil Bush holding son Pierce, Sharon, George W. Bush holding daughter Barbara, Laura Bush holding daughter Jenna, Barbara Bush, George Bush, Sam LeBlond, Doro Bush Lebond, George P. (Jeb's son), Jeb Bush holding son Jebby, Columba Bush and Noelle Bush.
The forum was sponsored by the Libre Initiative, an effort backed by David and Charles Koch and aimed to lure more Hispanics into the Republican column by promoting conservative principles. The group has previously held forums with Republican presidential candidates Marco Rubio and Rand Paul.
Bush opened up the event speaking in Spanish about how he studied Latin American affairs at the University of Texas. Then he switched to English to add: “I had a Latin American affair. It was with my wife, Columba.”
He highlighted his experiences living in Venezuela and Miami, as well as the bicultural family he started with his Mexican wife, to demonstrate his appeal to Hispanic voters.
Donald Trump’s attacks force Jeb Bush out of his malaise
Though he has faced criticism from Donald Trump for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail, Bush has embraced his ties to the Hispanic community. It’s an aspect of his campaign that he hopes will boost his electability and convince primary voters that he can win in a general election.
During the “Supergirl” moment at the end, Daniel Graza, the group’s executive director and a former member of the George W. Bush administration, was moderating the discussion and tried to move on to the next question as the audience was laughing.
But he kept laughing himself. “I’m trying to move quickly,” he said.
“Yeah you want to get me out of my hole I just dug?” Bush joked.
