Jeb Bush has hired a media coach.
After the former Florida governor’s performances in the first three Republican presidential debates were panned, he said Wednesday in an interview with ABC that he had one session with a consultant.
“Yeah, I’ve had one meeting with the guy. I’m going to be better,” he said.
Bush said the media coach is helping him with debates — not interviews with journalists. The key lesson: Say what you want to say, not what the moderator wants to hear.
Asked what the coach has told him, Bush said: “He’s telling me to be me. He’s telling me to own what I believe.”
He added: “My problem in the debates — I have to untrain myself to answer questions that are asked.”
“You have to pivot towards what you want to say, and look at — learn to interrupt in a way that doesn’t sound like you’re just oppressively rude,” Bush said. “You’ve got to garner the space. You got to talk about what’s important, and I’ll do that. Whether I’ve got a consultant is not as relevant right now.”