The presidential candidate who promised to campaign “joyfully” is bringing his race to the White House to a close on a more somber note.
In a Wednesday conference call with donors, Jeb Bush apologized for ending what was once seen as a promising bid months before Election Day, the New York Times reported.
“I’m sorry that it didn’t turn out the way that I intended,” Bush said in an audio recording of the call obtained by the Times. “When I launched the campaign in front of three or four thousand people in Miami, I anticipated a different result.”
The former Florida governor abruptly dropped out of the race on Saturday night after a string of underwhelming showings in early primary contests that culminated in a fourth-place finish in South Carolina. Despite endorsements by prominent Republicans and a hefty war chest, Bush’s campaign suffered in his final months as he became the primary target of criticisms lobbed by GOP frontrunner Donald Trump.
Trump seemed to revel in taking down his more mild-mannered opponent, calling him “weak” during a recent debate in South Carolina and tying him to his brother George W. Bush’s unpopular war in Iraq.
Bush hinted at the volatile nature of the 2016 race and the unexpected rise of Trump in his Wednesday call with donors.
“The reality was that you had a year of disruption, a year of outsiders making a compelling case to people who were deeply disaffected and angry,” Bush said, as quoted by the Times. “I just didn’t get the breakthrough that I needed in the early states and felt it was important to not move on without a clear path to winning.”
Bush seemed somewhat relieved that the tumultuous campaigning process had come to an end, telling supporters on the call that he had been visiting the gym and spending time with his wife Columba since returning to his Miami home.
He told donors he was “sleeping really well.”
