CNN Town Halls & Debates

Jeb Bush avoids Trump's Pope fight. Bush, who is a devout Catholic, didn't criticize the Pope's comments. But he said he personally wouldn't "question people's Christianity." "I think that's a relationship they have with their Lord and savior and themselves. So I just don't think it's appropriate to question Donald Trump's faith," Bush said. "He knows what his faith is." Trump will appear at the town hall later in the evening. At a rally earlier in the day on Kiawah Island, he said the Pope's statement was "disgraceful." Bush shrugged off South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's decision this week to endorse his rival, Marco Rubio. "I'm marking her down as neutral," Bush quipped. Pressed by Cooper on how he can still convince voters here that he has momentum, Bush insisted that the momentum is there. "I do have momentum if you look at the polls and if you look at the crowd sizes of our town hall meetings," Bush said. He pointed to the endorsement he won from South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham as a sign of his readiness to be president. "He could have supported two of his colleagues, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio," Bush said. "He chose me because he believes that I would be ready to serve on day one as commander in chief and as leader of the free world." A University of South Carolina student told Bush that it seemed to him marijuana was one of the most frequently used drugs on campus, and asked the ex-governor for his stance on legalization. Bush said he took issue with the term "recreational drug." "The terminology is probably a little misleading," Bush said, "because of the potency of this generation of marijuana. It has major impacts -- neurological impacts." He briefly mentioned his daughter's struggles with addiction, and said he believes the government should "focus a little bit more on treatment and a little less on punishment" of individuals convicted on drug-related charges. One of the more personally revealing moments for Bush came when a questioner asked him to describe how his wife, Columba, has shaped him as a leader. Bush turned to his wife, who was sitting in the audience next to former first lady Barbara Bush, and said, "Sweetie, this is going to be your anniversary present." He recalled meeting his wife as a young man in Mexico. "Five o'clock. I can remember exactly where I was on the town square. I can remember exactly what she looked like to this day," Bush said. The experience of falling for Columba -- "the most beautiful girl I had ever met in my life" -- Bush said, was like being hit with a "lightening bolt."

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