Jeb Bush is toning it down when it comes to the subject of the Miami Marlins.
Concerning his aspirations to own the money-losing MLB team, the former Florida governor said Friday that media reports had gotten ahead of themselves.
“Fake news actually exists outside of politics. It actually exists too when you’re trying to purchase a baseball team,” Bush said while speaking onstage at the Skybridge Alternatives Conference in Las Vegas.
That’s in contrast to May 2, when Bush told The Post he was “confident” that the Marlins bid he and Yankees legend Derek Jeter were making together would succeed.
The Post asked Bush after the panel what he meant by “fake news”. He declined comment, saying he had “no news”.
Bush and Jeter are still trying to raise the roughly $900 million in equity needed to buy the Marlins, a source close to the situation said. They together have between $50 million and $100 in personal capital to invest, so mostly need outside capital.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said this week he had not received a fully financed bid for the team.
“There needs to be a solidified financial structure presented to us so that we’re sure that we actually have a transaction that can move ahead.”
He also said, “There are two bidders, at least, for the franchise.”
“The bidders are in relatively the same place in terms of [bidding] price. Maybe minuscule differences. And they are in fact in the price range that [Marlins owner Jeffrey] Loria was looking for.”
Tagg Romney, son of Mitt Romney, is working on a rival bid, and billionaire Dean Metropoulos who controls Hostess Brands is in the hunt, sources said.