Did Jeb Bush steal his Donald Trump debate attack from the Netflix television series “House of Cards”?
Bush confronted Trump in Wednesday night’s CNN debate, asking Trump to apologize for previously suggesting that Bush is more sympathetic to Mexico by virtue of the fact that Bush’s wife is Mexican-American.
Bush even pointed his wife out in the crowd and asked Trump to apologize. Trump responded that he understands Bush’s wife Columba is a lovely person.
The exchange was strikingly similar to another CNN debate that occurred on the Netflix original series involving fictional politician Frank Underwood’s face-off with a union leader.
Jeb Bush is familiar with the show “House of Cards,” according to a series of tweets that he exchanged in July with the fictional character Frank Underwood’s House of Cards Twitter account.
Underwood asked for an apology for his wife, according to a transcript of Season 1, Episode 6 of “House of Cards.”
“Well, you know what I would like? What? An apology. If not to me, then to my wife. When that brick came through our window, it was terrifying. She’s standing right over there,” Underwood told a union leader in a fictional CNN debate on that episode of the show.
“Now, why don’t you look her in the eye and tell her that your people had nothing to do with that brick?” Underwood asked.
The union character apologized but added, “But you know what sickens me more? That right now, your husband is using you as a prop on national television to try and win a debate. So I think you’re the one that owes your wife an apology, Frank.”
The fictional debate turned into a political embarrassment for the Underwood character.