Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) on Wednesday reportedly backpedaled on his support for Indiana’s new “religious freedom” law protecting the right to deny certain services to gay couples.
“We shouldn’t discriminate based on sexual orientation,” Bush told a gathering of Silicon Valley donors, we shouldn’t discriminate based on sexual orientation, according to audio tapes obtained by the New York Times.
Though he remained supportive of a bill supporting religious rights, this caveat was a retreat from the stronger position he took during a radio interview this week.
Speaking to conservative host Hugh Hewitt on Monday, Bush said that Indiana had done “the right thing.”
“I just think once the facts are established, people aren’t going to see this as discriminatory at all,” he said.
Bush’s flip came after Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) on Tuesday urged legislators to clarify the law, which was widely seen as a response to intense public backlash against the law.
Speaking at the fundraiser on Wednesday, Bush said he would have preferred Indiana came up with a “better approach” in the first place, the Times reported.
“By the end of the week, I think Indiana will be in the right place, which is to say that we need in a big diverse country like America, we need to have space for people to act on their conscience, that it is a constitutional right that religious freedom is a core value of our country,” the potential presidential candidate said.
This post has been updated.
