Jeb Bush can’t seem to catch a break.
The former Florida governor, who has languished in national polls and finished a distant sixth in the Iowa caucus, resorted to asking a group of unmoved voters in New Hampshire to applaud his stump speech, according to a Wednesday New York Times report.
Bush was met with complete silence after giving what the Times described as a “fiery” speech at the Hanover Inn, where he vowed to prioritize national security as President.
“I won’t be out here blowharding, talking a big game without backing it up,” he said, as quoted by the Times.
“Please clap,” he pleaded as the audience remained quiet.
According to the Times, the crowd laughed before finally breaking out into applause.
Bush has pushed back against the suggestion that given Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) surprise third place finish in Iowa, he’s become redundant as a second possible establishment GOP candidate.
In a Wednesday morning interview on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” Bush swatted down the notion that he would drop out any time soon.
“We had one election,” Bush told host Martha MacCallum. “Not a single delegate has been selected. Marco Rubio came in third place in a caucus state, and we are all supposed to bow out. It’s absolutely absurd.”
“I’m in it for the long-haul,” he promised.
Watch the video of the New Hampshire speech below.
This post was updated at 4:45 p.m. to include video.
