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One of the 'Cool Things' Jeb Bush Did Before Running for President Was Get Filthy Rich

Jeb Bush's campaign for US president has had a dismal stretch lately — including plunging poll numbers, cutting campaign staff, and questionable comments about superheroes.
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Jeb Bush has made it abundantly clear during his presidential campaign that there are plenty of things he would rather do than get into Twitter spats with Donald Trump. Speaking at a recent town hall meeting in South Carolina, Bush voiced his frustration with political infighting and gridlock.

"If this election is about how we're going to fight to get nothing done, then I don't want any part of it," Bush said, visibly agitated. "I've got a lot of really cool things I could do other than sit around, being miserable, listening to people demonize me and me feeling compelled to demonize them.

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"That is a joke," he added. "Elect Trump if you want that."

Considering the dismal stretch his campaign has had lately — including plunging poll numbers, cutting campaign staff, and questionable comments about superheroes — the mini-tantrum is not completely unexpected. But it is the first time that Bush has articulated what some observers have long suspected: Perhaps he doesn't really want to be running for president.

Related: Jeb Bush Likes Superheroes Because of Capitalism and Hot Women

The sentiment is understandable given the fact that most of the "cool things" Bush did between 2007, when he left office as Florida governor, and when he declared his candidacy earlier this year involved making a lot of money. According to tax documents he released earlier this year as a gesture of transparency, Bush earned $29 million during his years away from the political fray.

About half of Bush's income reportedly came from Lehman Brothers, the now-defunct Wall Street investment bank whose collapse from toxic housing mortgages helped usher in the 2008 global financial meltdown. Bush was hired as an advisor in the summer of 2008 in a last-ditch effort to save Lehman, according to a post-mortem report that examined the bank's demise.

Bush was reportedly paid $14 million for his services to  Lehman.

The Bush campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment by VICE News.

After he left the Florida governor's mansion, Bush also fought for the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as ObamaCare. From 2007 until 2014, Bush was on the board of Tenet Healthcare, one of the country's largest for-profit hospital chains. Tenet's revenue reportedly spiked by more than $4 billion between 2013 and 2014 after ObamaCare decreased the number of uninsured patients and increased mandatory coverage.

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Related: Jeb Bush Wants to Appeal to Black Voters Through 'Aspiration' and Not 'Free Stuff'

While Tenet aggressively encouraged patients to sign up for the health plan, Bush, who reportedly earned more than $2 million serving as the director of the company's board, publicly opposed ObamaCare, calling it "flawed to its core."

Bush has never been shy about how much more he earns outside of politics. According to a New YorkTimes report, Bush complained that his finances took a hit when he was governor and said that he was determined to recoup his losses later in the private sector.

In addition to being a paid member of various corporate boards, tax documents show that Bush also made money through speaking fees and his capital investment company Jeb Bush & Associates. He was also offered the job of commissioner of the National Football League in 2006, but turned it down, possibly for something cooler.

Follow Olivia Becker on Twitter:  @obecker928