Jeb Bush, Ludacris Meet At Georgia State House
An usual encounter between the former Florida governor and ... Ludacris.
— -- Remember that time Jeb Bush and Ludacris met on the floor of the Georgia statehouse? It may sound like the set-up of a joke, but it happened today with the 2016 hopeful and rapper both addressing state lawmakers in Atlanta.
The former Florida governor was scheduled to speak this morning to both the state Senate and members of the House of Representatives, and before the two met, Bush joked to members of the state Senate: "I actually came here because I was told Ludacris was going to be here.”
Bush then praised the entertainer, who was being honored on the floor of the chamber for his work at his philanthropy, the Ludacris Foundation, which has donated over $1.5 million to youth programs across the country.
A photo posted by @ludacris on Mar 19, 2015 at 8:31am PDT
“I appreciate the fact that there are people engaged in assuring that children gain a year’s worth of knowledge in a year’s time, that we have high expectations for every child and the fact that Ludacris is involved in supporting charter schools here in Georgia is something to be admired,” Bush said. “Tell him I appreciate the fact that he is using his talents to be able to assure that children rise up because if we don’t get that right, it’s hard to imagine how our country will continue to be the greatest country on earth.”
Soon after, they crossed paths in the House chamber, taking photos after Ludacris -- known as Luda to his fans -- spoke. Bush took the stage soon after the rapper, whose real name is Christopher Bridges.
“I’ll be very brief, I came to see Ludacris. I’ve already done that. I appreciate the fact there’s a successful guy that is giving back and you all giving him this honor is quite appropriate,” Bush told members of the state House of Representatives, after posing for photos with the performer.
Bush is also in Atlanta for two fundraisers and both of his speeches to the state lawmakers were brief, but he focused on education. He didn’t mention his support for Common Core standards, which he has faced conservative criticism for, but told the lawmakers, “Nothing is more important than making sure there is a system that is child-centered, that is customized to the uniqueness of every child and that we hold every child to high expectations that will allow them to be competitive in the world to come. So I encourage you to be big and be bold.”
During the 2008 campaign, Ludacris released a song titled “Politics” supporting then-Sen. Barack Obama, but going after Bush’s brother President George W. Bush, as well as then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, and Sen. John McCain. The Obama campaign criticized the song in which Ludacris raps that Bush is “mentally handicapped” and “Hillary hated on you, so that b**** is irrelevant.”
ABC News' Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.
A photo posted by @ludacris on Mar 19, 2015 at 8:31am PDT
“I appreciate the fact that there are people engaged in assuring that children gain a year’s worth of knowledge in a year’s time, that we have high expectations for every child and the fact that Ludacris is involved in supporting charter schools here in Georgia is something to be admired,” Bush said. “Tell him I appreciate the fact that he is using his talents to be able to assure that children rise up because if we don’t get that right, it’s hard to imagine how our country will continue to be the greatest country on earth.”
Soon after, they crossed paths in the House chamber, taking photos after Ludacris -- known as Luda to his fans -- spoke. Bush took the stage soon after the rapper, whose real name is Christopher Bridges.
“I’ll be very brief, I came to see Ludacris. I’ve already done that. I appreciate the fact there’s a successful guy that is giving back and you all giving him this honor is quite appropriate,” Bush told members of the state House of Representatives, after posing for photos with the performer.
Bush is also in Atlanta for two fundraisers and both of his speeches to the state lawmakers were brief, but he focused on education. He didn’t mention his support for Common Core standards, which he has faced conservative criticism for, but told the lawmakers, “Nothing is more important than making sure there is a system that is child-centered, that is customized to the uniqueness of every child and that we hold every child to high expectations that will allow them to be competitive in the world to come. So I encourage you to be big and be bold.”
During the 2008 campaign, Ludacris released a song titled “Politics” supporting then-Sen. Barack Obama, but going after Bush’s brother President George W. Bush, as well as then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, and Sen. John McCain. The Obama campaign criticized the song in which Ludacris raps that Bush is “mentally handicapped” and “Hillary hated on you, so that b**** is irrelevant.”
ABC News' Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.