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---
description: Jeb Bush is attacking Republican frontrunner Donald Trump over his well-known germophobia.
title: Bush Gets Personal With &#x27;Germophobe&#x27; Attack on Trump
image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbddc6b0f9af6ff83/69885fe8524fc02748df41da/jeb-bush5.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=3840&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
---

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# Bush Gets Personal With 'Germophobe' Attack on Trump

<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xQD7X5yR.m3u8" -->
## Video: Jeb Bush: 'I Am My Own Man'

[Watch (HLS stream): Jeb Bush: 'I Am My Own Man'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xQD7X5yR.m3u8) (1:14)

![Jeb Bush: 'I Am My Own Man'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xQD7X5yR/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2015-02-18. Jeb Bush: 'I Am My Own Man'_


by 

[Zeke Miller](/author/zeke-j-miller/)


## Zeke Miller


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Sep 2, 2015 10:00 AM CUT

![Jeb Bush](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbddc6b0f9af6ff83/69885fe8524fc02748df41da/jeb-bush5.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Republican presidential candidate former Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush speaks during a town hall meeting on Aug. 17, 2015, in Columbia, S.C.

Republican presidential candidate former Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush speaks during a town hall meeting on Aug. 17, 2015, in Columbia, S.C.Rainier Ehrhardt—AP

by 

[Zeke Miller](/author/zeke-j-miller/)


## Zeke Miller


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Sep 2, 2015 10:00 AM CUT

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is escalating his all-out campaign against GOP front-runner Donald Trump with a new ad campaign and quiz on social media designed to highlight Bush’s conservative credentials in contrast with the businessman’s past embrace of the Democratic Party.

Branded “Which candidate are you?” the [quiz](https://jeb2016.com/which-candidate-are-you/ "undefined") notes that Trump once said he thought Hillary Clinton would negotiate a strong deal with Iran, backed an assault weapons ban and expressed support for single-payer healthcare, while highlighting Bush’s opposition on all those fronts.

In a strikingly personal attack, the quiz asks voters whether they would prefer a candidate who “is a germophobe when it comes to shaking hands,” a reference to Trump’s documented phobia, Bush, meanwhile is cast as a candidate who “strives to shake every hand everywhere.”

After collecting users’ email addresses and zip codes, the quiz presents its results. “You have clear Democratic tendencies,” it spits out if too many Trump items are selected. “You’re looking for the candidate who proposed record new tax hikes, supported single-payer health care, and supported an assault weapons ban. You’ve found your man in Donald Trump.”

Meanwhile, those who select pro-Bush options are presented with, “Jeb Bush is a conservative reformer for President who will actually get results. Like you, he supports cutting taxes, reducing spending, and limiting the role of the federal government in your life.”

The quiz follows a biting video from the Bush campaign Tuesday noting Trump’s past support for Democratic principles. Trump fired back with an Instagram video showing Bush presenting Clinton with an award for her career in public service, and calling for an end to Bushes and Clintons in the White House.

The escalation comes as the Bush campaign has determined they believe there is a strategic benefit in attacking Trump, potentially helping their candidate shore up support on his vulnerable right flank. The campaign had previously hoped to ignore Trump’s rise throughout the summer.

The Bush campaign is promoting the quiz on Facebook, targeting people “who have expressed an interest in or like pages related to Donald Trump” in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, the campaign said.


### See Jeb Bush's Life in Photos

![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt29f22f6cb0eef116/6987812ce20a872901a854e1/jeb-bush-bio-photos-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

George W. Bush and Jeb Bush, Jan. 1, 1955. Sygma/Corbis

![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltccc0ce4acf433888/6987812c55a8590e51a86077/jeb-bush-bio-photos-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

From left to right: Doro, Marvin, Neil, and Jeb Bush, fall 1963. George Bush Presidential Library

![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3a2e8c876e5d53fb/6987812d2dce013a4f9ddc35/jeb-bush-bio-photos-3.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

From left to right: Doro, George, Jeb, Marvin, George W., Neil, and Barbara Bush, 1966. George Bush Presidential Library


![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt488d2467b9969bcf/6987812d35ba6fa8b6c074a2/jeb-bush-bio-photos-4.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jeb Bush (center) was the varsity tennis team captain during his senior year at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., 1971. Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde6300a21942d0d4/6987812ee20a873106a854e5/jeb-bush-bio-photos-6.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

George Bush and his four sons, Neil, Jeb, George W. and Marvin in 1970. Bob E. Daemmrich—Sygma/Corbis

![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f0f658e71fd04d4/6987812d0b72e366a06dde31/jeb-bush-bio-photos-5.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jeb and Columba Bush on their wedding day, Feb. 23, 1974. George Bush Presidential Library


![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3b16f6c14a600ce/6987812e2dce014bd49ddc39/jeb-bush-bio-photos-8.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jeb Bush loudly applauds his father, Republican presidential hopeful George Bush, at a campaign rally in Concord, N.H. on Feb. 28, 1980. Frank Lorenzo—Bettmann/Corbis

![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2ebaf39b56eedf2/6987812ea988ca0c646acaf4/jeb-bush-bio-photos-7.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Vice President George Bush holds a fish with his sons George W. and Jeb during a family vacation in Kennebunkport, Maine in Aug. 1983. Cynthia Johnson—Getty Images

![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt04eb83eb17f79326/6987812fcd68486ca1099e59/jeb-bush-bio-photos-10.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

From left to right (without children): Neil and Sharon Bush, George W. Bush and wife Laura, Barbara and George Bush, Margaret and Marvin, Bobby Koch and Dorothy, Jeb and Columba, are seen in this Bush family photo taken in Kennebunkport, Maine on Aug. 24, 1986. Dave Valdez—White House/Sygma/Corbis


![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8e21ae6e803f31a/69878130e20a87f0c4a854ee/jeb-bush-bio-photos-11.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jeb Bush plays cards with his son while riding in a recreational vehicle, Nov. 8, 1993. Christopher Little—Corbis

![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6c82f4d25a62cf70/6987812f428a9e3baecc7581/jeb-bush-bio-photos-9.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jeb Bush is interviewed at a Miami Radio Station, WIOD, Mar. 1980\. He went on to become Governor of Florida in 1999. Tim Chapman—Getty Images

![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1f3a05347cc27683/69878130524fc01e86decab0/jeb-bush-bio-photos-12.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

George W. Bush and Jeb Bush at the Republican Governors' Convention in New Orleans, 1998. Nina Berman—SIPA


![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32ad9d1807d73a04/6987813106f2c1b67c334304/jeb-bush-bio-photos-13.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Texas governor George W. Bush celebrates good news with his brother, Florida governor Jeb Bush, while watching the presidential election returns, prior to being elected as President of the United States, inside the Governor's Mansion in Austin, Nov. 7, 2000. Brooks Kraft—Sygma/Corbis

![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5cb943e71972950/6987812a8e0601038145a828/jeb-bush-bio-photos-14.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Republican governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, studies his laptop watching vote returns for his reelection his wife Columba Bush and his parents, former President George Bush and first lady Barbara Bush in Miami on Nov. 5, 2002. Joe Burbank—Orlando Sentinel/MCT/Getty Images

![Jeb Bush Life in Photos](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1e3d69651cca4c7/6987812a524fc0733cdecaa6/jeb-bush-bio-photos-15.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Republican nominee for President, Mitt Romney, campaigns around Florida with Governor Jeb Bush, left, Senator Marco Rubio, right, and Congressman Connie Mack, left back of head, in Coral Gables, Fla. on Oct., 31, 2012. Melina Mara—The Washington Post/Getty Images


![Jeb Bush speaks at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd004c3ae5e493830/6987817706f2c10a2d334378/fullsizerender11.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jeb Bush speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015. Mark Peterson—Redux for TIME

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