Jeb Bush said on Saturday that he understands why voters are backing presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump Donald John TrumpUS reimposes UN sanctions on Iran amid increasing tensions Jeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Trump supporters chant 'Fill that seat' at North Carolina rally MORE, but he was critical of the way Trump is “preying on people's angst rather than offering tangible solutions.”

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Speaking at an event in Amsterdam hosted by the Nexus Institute, the former presidential candidate discussed the rise of Trump and of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersNYT editorial board remembers Ginsburg: She 'will forever have two legacies' Two GOP governors urge Republicans to hold off on Supreme Court nominee Sanders knocks McConnell: He's going against Ginsburg's 'dying wishes' MORE.

"What I fear is that people, kind of looking down their nose, will say the people that are supporting Donald Trump are a bunch of idiots. They're not. They're legitimately scared. They're fearful. They're not as optimistic for legitimate reasons, and there should be respect for that," the former Florida governor said, according to CNN. "And on the other side, a similar respect needs to be shown.”

Bush, who previously endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzVideo of Lindsey Graham arguing against nominating a Supreme Court justice in an election year goes viral Sunday shows preview: Justice Ginsburg dies, sparking partisan battle over vacancy before election Democrat on Graham video urging people to 'use my words against me': 'Done' MORE (R-Texas) for president, was not as critical of Trump as he has been in the past but is still unlikely to back the presumptive GOP nominee.

Bush added that Trump has "been phenomenally good at using the new way of communicating” to stay at the front of news cycles.

"He can literally wake up — I have this vision of him in, you know, silk pajamas, with his little slippers on with a 'T' on his emblem. He wakes up and he sends out a tweet ripping, you know, someone a new one," Bush said.

"He's the first guy that's ever been allowed to call into everything but 'Meet the Press.' I think they even relented. So he has been a master at how you get into the media, the new media, the diverse media that exists today in a way that had never been done before."