--- title: Jeb Bush: A Republican Grinder Explains His Outlook in Iowa description: "It is what it is" canonical: https://time.com/4075248/jeb-bush-republican-campaign-joy/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-15T19:06:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:27.528Z article:section: Politics og:title: Jeb Bush: A Republican Grinder Explains His Outlook in Iowa og:description: "It is what it is" og:url: https://time.com/4075248/jeb-bush-republican-campaign-joy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7332f01f06f9e8b/698867facf40a84104c40298/jeb-bush1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Jeb Bush og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Jeb Bush: A Republican Grinder Explains His Outlook in Iowa twitter:description: "It is what it is" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7332f01f06f9e8b/698867facf40a84104c40298/jeb-bush1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Jeb Bush Talks to TIME about Being a Joyful Grinder > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=61a0303a-f919-4589-8dc4-c6f3251a1b8e&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=61a0303a-f919-4589-8dc4-c6f3251a1b8e&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=61a0303a-f919-4589-8dc4-c6f3251a1b8e&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=61a0303a-f919-4589-8dc4-c6f3251a1b8e&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Trump on Jeb Bush [Watch (HLS stream): Trump on Jeb Bush](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Ad8wLsHa.m3u8) (0:52)  _Published 2015-08-19. Trump on Jeb Bush_ by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Oct 15, 2015 7:06 PM UTC  Jeb Bush on Oct. 6, 2015 in Davenport, Iowa. Jeb Bush on Oct. 6, 2015 in Davenport, Iowa. Daniel Acker—Bloomberg/Getty Images by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Oct 15, 2015 7:06 PM UTC Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has been working hard to remain joyful in a campaign season dominated by voter fury and frustration. “I really strive not to get bogged down in the here and now, because the here and now is going to change in a week and it’ll change again,” Bush says, explaining his aversion to the relentless press coverage of the horse race. ” I think the measurement of success is over the long haul. So, I’m doing this. I’m working hard — I’m working 16 hour days. And I do do it joyfully for sure.” In an interview with TIME on Oct. 8, Bush spoke about how he tries to stay happy in the face of a grueling campaign, why being an introvert may be an advantage, and why he leans on his brother for advice. “I can’t change who I am,” he says. “It took me 62 years to be who I am and it’s impossible to play like I’m someone who I’m not. I’m going to be who I am.” He spoke in his car on a drive to the airport after a three-day swing in Iowa. Below is a lightly edited and condensed transcript. **TIME: What has surprised you most on the campaign trail?** **Bush:** I didn’t know what to expect because every election is different. The challenges I face— I have understood them from the beginning, I knew that that this was going to be a long haul, to get where we need to be, which is to tell the Jeb story, add value to what people know about me, which is dependent on where they live either not very much at all or some. And it’s been my responsibility from the very beginning to methodically go about telling my life story, what’s in my heart, the experience I have, the business experience, the political experience, leading a complex—the largest swing state in the country for eight years. That experience, all that stuff has been what I’ve focused on. So there’re the three things from the beginning: give insights on my character, my passion, my life experience in general. Tell the personal story. Talk about why leadership matters and my record of accomplishment as governor. And advocate ideas to give people a sense that not only do I have the skills to fix the things that are broken in Washington, but I have ideas that will lift them up. Those three things—that’s what I focus on. And I don’t know what everybody else does in the campaign, but that’s what I do. **Are expectations higher for you on the campaign trail as a Bush?** I do think the bar’s higher for me, but that’s good. That makes me focus on being better each and every day. So, I don’t view it as a burden, I view it as an opportunity. **You’ve been at this for almost a year. How have you improved?** Just trial and error, man, just grinding it out. You’ve got to get better as you go along. I assume everyone gets better, but I strive to do it. How I communicate, how I connect with people. That’s the main, main way in my part of the world, in my mission. That’s uniquely my responsibility, so I take it seriously. **In a recent interview with The Skimm, you described yourself as a grinder and an introvert, that’s not what you usually expect from people in public life.** Well, people in public life, normally the people that are involved generally kind of, the extroverts migrate to the public arena. But introverts win in the end, brother. That’s the way I look at it. Being mission driven, being focused, being really striving for improvement, being self-aware and not being driven by your own ego, but being driven by a mission, I think in the end is a good set of personality traits that will be helpful. It is what it is. So, I can’t change who I am. It took me 62 years to be who I am and it’s impossible to play like I’m someone who I’m not. I’m going to be who I am. **Can you be joyful that way?** Yeah, absolutely. **As a grinder?** Yeah, absolutely. The joy comes from interacting with people who have something important to say. The joy is when people come up to you and say, ‘boy, I hope you win, you give me hope.’ Joy comes from people I interact with. And I have the advantage of not following the clips. No offense, I won’t read your article. I won’t. **I don’t know if you read our last one?** Probably not. I don’t think I did. **The TIME** [**cover**](http://time.com/3733121/jeb-bush-next-in-line/)**?** Oh, I actually sign a lot of them. It’s one of the great pictures of all times. I sign about ten of them a day. **It is a tremendous picture.** I was skinny, and I had long hair. So I really strive not to get bogged down in the here and now, because the here and now is going to change in a week and it’ll change again. I think the measurement of success is over the long haul. So, I’m doing this. I’m working hard — I’m working 16 hour days. And I do do it joyfully for sure. I don’t know if I could do it as joyfully if I read the ‘life or death,’ ‘the world’s coming to an end,’ all this crapola that people talk about. It just doesn’t have the same purpose for me if I was focused on, if I was obsessive about the politics for politics. It just wouldn’t—That would take joy from my heart in a heartbeat. It really would. Other people kind of like it I think, but it doesn’t motivate me. **Whose advice is more significant? Your brother’s or your mothers?** My brother gives me good advice. It doesn’t come with great regularity. I need to ask him more to be honest with you. Because he’s got a great, very astute, sense. Put it this way, since 1992, he’s the only Republican who has won a presidential election, so that’s kind of a privileged status there in terms of experience. But my mom is just a loyal mom. She watches TV and throws shoes at it. She’s not giving me advice. I talked to her yesterday and she basically said, ‘I love you’ about five different ways. ## Transcript [00:01] Well, Jeb is a very low energy person. So he can sit [00:03] around a table all day long with one general, and talk, [00:07] and talk. But I see that general being grilled by you. [00:11] And when I say I watch on television, I do. And I watch [00:14] in TIME Magazine. And I watch in the New York Times [00:16] or the Wall Street Journal. I read All of them. A lot. And [00:20] I get my views from the media. A lot of [00:24] the views and you know frankly a lot of people do. The [00:29] views that you will see during those 10 and 15 minute [00:31] segments or during reading a story are not a lot [00:34] different then. Jeb sitting around with the policy group [00:38] if he really has such a thing. You know, it sounds good, [00:40] I can say that, too. You know, he's an excellent student [00:43] at the best school and I could also say, oh well, I have [00:46] a great policy group and we sit around, I mean, I [00:48] wonder whether or not Jeb actually has that. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4075248/jeb-bush-republican-campaign-joy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4075248/jeb-bush-republican-campaign-joy/"},"headline":"Jeb Bush Talks to TIME about Being a Joyful Grinder","datePublished":"2015-10-15T19:06:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:57:27.528Z","description":"\"It is what it is\"","url":"https://time.com/4075248/jeb-bush-republican-campaign-joy/","keywords":["jeb bush","Iowa","2016 Campaign","Republican"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7332f01f06f9e8b/698867facf40a84104c40298/jeb-bush1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeke Miller","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc7332f01f06f9e8b/698867facf40a84104c40298/jeb-bush1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Jeb Bush","caption":"Jeb Bush","creditText":"Daniel Acker—Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/jeb-bush/","name":"jeb bush"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4075248/jeb-bush-republican-campaign-joy/","name":"Jeb Bush Talks to TIME about Being a Joyful Grinder"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Trump on Jeb Bush","description":"Trump on Jeb Bush","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Ad8wLsHa/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-08-19T21:50:17.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Ad8wLsHa.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4075248/jeb-bush-republican-campaign-joy/","duration":"PT52S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4075248/jeb-bush-republican-campaign-joy/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```