Election 2016: Will Jeb Bush Get Brother George On Campaign Trail? Former Florida Governor Is 'Hopeful'

Presidential candidate and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Friday he expects his brother, former President George W. Bush, to join him on the campaign trail before the South Carolina primary Feb. 20. Bush said negotiations are underway to get the 43rd president out campaigning for him, but it is uncertain when exactly that may happen.

“People seem to be interested and I’m hopeful he will” come campaign, Bush told Fox News channel’s show “America’s Newsroom” Friday morning. “The details haven’t been worked out. He’s a popular Republican, that’s for sure. Most of the polls show he’s the most popular Republican in the country and I would love to have his support — he wants to help. I know I have to earn this as well and so there’s a balance here, and that’s what we’re all about right now.”

That the former president is popular in the United States is a relatively new phenomenon. In June, public opinion polls showed more people liked him than disliked him for the first time in a decade.

For Jeb, though, things aren’t looking so hot. Once seen as the likely Republican nominee, Bush has taken quite the fall from first place. As businessman Donald Trump began dominating national polls, Bush kept on slipping and has landed in fifth place with just 4.8 percent of support among projected voters, a Real Clear Politics average of polls indicates.

Bush has tried to shift that momentum upward by attacking Trump on a variety of issues, but nothing seems to be working for the Floridian’s campaign. During the Fox News interview, Bush challenged Trump’s record, saying the real estate mogul should answer why he has given money to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, and her family’s charitable organization. He also noted Trump previously supported raising taxes.