Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump blasted former neurosurgeon Ben Carson suggesting he “makes [Jeb] Bush look like the Energizer bunny.”
Trump, appearing on CNN’s “New Day” Thursday, even criticized Carson’s medical background, arguing he was “perhaps an OK doctor, by the way, you can check that out, too. We’re not talking about a great, he was an OK doctor.”
Carson was the first doctor to separate conjoined twins at the head.
Donald Trump: Excuse me, Chris, go back to look at his past. Go back to look at his views on abortion and see where he stands. You talk about abortion, go back to look at his views on abortion. Now all of a sudden he gets on very low key, I mean frankly he looks like he makes Bush look like the Energizer bunny.
Chris Cuomo: Strong words.
Trump: He’s very low key. He’s got a lot of donors. He’s got a lot of people pushing him. But Ben Carson, you look at his faith, and I think you’re not going to find so much. And you look at his views on abortion, which were horrendous. And that’s, I think, why I’m leading with all the evangelicals. As you know in your poll, number one, I’m leading Ben Carson by a lot. You said, oh, Ben Carson is surging. Well, I’m almost double his numbers.
Cuomo: Absolutely. I’m saying he came out of nowhere is all I’m saying. He’s not a big celebrity. People didn’t know about him. He doesn’t get anywhere near the attention that you get.
Trump: Well, I only bring this up Chris, hey Chris, I only bring this up, because I saw him hitting me yesterday. He’s questioning my faith. I happen to be a great believer in God and great believer in the Bible. Who is he to question my faith?
Cuomo: He is definitely questioning your faith.
Trump: Hey Chris, who is he to question my faith when I am — he doesn’t even know me. I’ve met him a few times. But I don’t know Ben Carson. He was a doctor, perhaps an OK doctor, by the way, you can check that out, too. Were not talking about a great, he was an OK doctor.
Cuomo: I don’t know about OK doctor. He was the first man to separate conjoined twins.
Trump: He was just fine, and now because he’s a doctor and hired one nurse he’s going to end up being the president of the United States? But for him to criticize me on my faith is absolutely, and for him to read from the Bible in his memory, it looked like he memorized it about two minutes before going on stage. But Ben Carson is not going to be your next president. That I can tell you.
Cuomo: Do you think you are more a man of faith than he is? Than Ben Carson is?
Trump: I can’t quote him. I can only say I am a man of faith.