Who Is Jeb Bush's Wife? Donald Trump Won't Apologize To Mexican American Columba Bush

GOP front-runner and business mogul Donald Trump is known for flinging insults at his rivals. But one attack in particular, made months ago on Twitter, prompted former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to demand an apology during Wednesday’s CNN debate.

"#JebBush has to like the Mexican Illegals because of his wife," Trump tweeted in July. That tweet was later deleted, but it seemed too late to erase its footprint.

Bush said he hoped Trump apologized to his wife on stage Wednesday, as the two continued to fire insults at one another during the presidential debate. Bush called his wife an "American by choice" who has embraced "American values." Trump, in traditional fashion, said he did nothing wrong.

People took to Twitter saying Trump’s statements were inappropriate and uncalled for. So who is Mrs. Bush?

Columba Bush, 61, has generally kept away from the spotlight. The two met during a high school trip to Mexico in 1971, when Jeb Bush was 17 and she was just 16. She moved to the United States, and the two were married three years later, before she could speak English.

The couple had three children together. Columba Bush has generally kept a low profile, but has occasionally offered statements to the media indicating she was unhappy with how her husband’s work dominated their life.

In Florida, she raised awareness about domestic abuse and created a high school scholarship program called Arts for Life. She has also lent her support to anti-drug initiatives.

She was also the source of controversy shortly after Bush won governorship in 1998. Columba was thrust under the spotlight after it was learned she had lied to U.S. Customs officials about how much new clothing and jewelry she had brought back. Columba told authorities it was worth $500, but in reality, she was carrying more than $19,000 of goods. She was fined more than $4,000.

Considered an establishment Republican candidate in a race that has been dominated by political outliers, Bush has struggled to stand out and has steadily lost support in polls. A recent poll found support for Bush had fallen, as Carson has surged in the polls. Bush has seen support drop about seven percentage points since August.