Jeb Bush Serves Up Some Red Meat and ‘Iowa Beef’ To Hawkeye State Crowd

Bush slammed Obama: America must "change presidents."

ByABC News
March 7, 2015, 1:45 PM

— -- Jeb Bush, making his first foray into Iowa in more than two years, slammed President Obama and praised the local cuisine, earning a standing ovation at an agriculture summit in Des Moines Saturday.

In front of a largely Republican crowd, Bush criticized Obama's use of executive orders.

"The first thing you do is change presidents," he said. "This president has used his authority -- authority he doesn't have -- to go way beyond what any president has done before."

The former Florida governor, who last visited the Hawkeye State in 2012, also reminded the audience that he's no stranger to the land of corn and pork.

During his father's campaign, "I probably went to at least 50 of the counties, if not more," he said. "I remember eating well, eating really, really well."

Bush, who in April called illegal border-crossings "an act of love," today emphasized the need to enforce current immigration laws.

"The rule of law is a sacred value in our country, and we need to enforce our border," he said.

America must make sure "legal immigration will be easier than illegal immigration," he said, noting that the government should narrow its definition of family to only spouses and minor children and focus on attracting immigrants who can fulfill the nation's economic needs.

Though a few of Bush's recent stump-style speeches have been lackluster, he's polled relatively well nationally. Bush came in at number five among his GOP contenders in Iowa in a Quinnipiac poll released last week.

He made sure to work in just a little pandering today: On Sunday, his family will be "cooking Iowa beef," he said.