On Tuesday night, Jeb Bush went on The Tonight Show to slow jam the news with Jimmy Fallon, in one of his first opportunities to appear before a national audience. For the most part, the governor kept a straight face — as Fallon made various suggestive jokes, Bush simply stared ahead and didn't laugh or smile. When he got to speak, he summed up why he should be president like this:
In my two terms as governor, I cut taxes every year, passed the first statewide school choice system, and created 1.3 million new jobs, the most in the country. So I know we can fix the problems facing our nation because I've already done it in our eight years in Florida.
(FactCheck.org evaluated Bush's job creation claim and concluded, "Any way you slice it, Florida's job performance during Bush's years as governor was strong, but it takes some creativity to get Florida to tops in the nation." When adjusting for the size of a state, Florida ranked fifth overall.)
When Fallon asked him about immigration in the scripted bit, Bush first answered in English, saying, "We're a nation of immigrants. And I believe everyone should have the chance to achieve the American dream." But then he repeated his answer in Spanish — leading to cheers and applause from the audience.
