In Spanish, Jeb Bush recounts his children were taunted for their skin tone

Washington Post ^ | 7/27/15 | Ed O'Keefe

[jimbo123]

Jeb Bush speaks frequently about the time he met his wife as a high school exchange student in Mexico. But he rarely does so in Spanish. And rarely has he spoken about the taunts his own children faced for the color of their skin growing up as half-Hispanic children in Florida.

On Monday, Bush spoke in deeply personal terms about his family's Hispanic heritage -- and did so entirely in Spanish, providing a strong contrast with the recent rhetoric of Donald Trump, whether intentional or not. He also vowed to enact comprehensive immigration reform during his first term as president -- a significant priority for a Spanish-speaking audience and a pledge that he noted President Obama also made, but failed to achieve.

In an interview with Telemundo, Bush sat for roughly 25 minutes answering questions from anchor Jose Diaz-Balart, who also hosts a daytime program on MSNBC. The exchange began by reminding viewers that Bush's wife, Columba, is from Mexico, and that his children are bilingual and bicultural.

Speaking in Spanish, Bush said: "We are very Hispanic, in that we speak Spanish in the house. Columba is a good Mexican, proud of her citizenship of this country, of course, but we eat Mexican food in the home. My children are Hispanic in many aspects. We don't talk about it, but the Hispanic influence is an important part of my life."

Diaz-Balart asked if Bush's three children had ever faced criticism for their skin tone or their accent and how he might have spoken to them about it.

[C19fan]

“his own children faced for the color of their skin growing up as half-Hispanic children in Florida.”

What a bunch of BS considering the heavy Hispanic population in FL especially South Florida where Jeb and his family lived since 1980.