Donald Trump slammed Ben Carson Thursday morning, one day after the retired neurosurgeon questioned the businessman’s faith.
Trump told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on “New Day” that Carson, who was the first surgeon to separate conjoined twins joined at the head, was just an “OK doctor” and said “you look at his faith and I think you’re not going to find so much.”
Trump also called Carson’s views on abortion “horrendous.” Carson is staunchly opposed to abortion now, but was an abortion-rights supporter when he was younger and performed medical research on aborted fetuses in 1992.
“If you look at his past, which I’ve done, he wasn’t a big man of faith. All of a sudden he’s becoming this man of faith and he was heavy into the world of abortion,” Trump said.
Trump is now opposed to abortions, but only after years supporting women’s right to abortions, describing himself in 1999 as “very pro-choice.”
Carson has been a prominent figure in the evangelical community for years and repeatedly touts on the stump the role faith has played in his life. He jumped onto the conservative political scene when in 2013 he delivered the keynote address at the National Prayer Breakfast, diving into a heavy-handed criticism of President Barack Obama’s health care reform measure with Obama at his side.
When asked Wednesday the difference between himself and Trump, Carson said his faith is “probably the biggest thing” distinguishing him from the brash billionaire.
“I’ve realized where my success has come from and I don’t in anyway deny my faith in God,” Carson said, before quoting what he said was one of his favorite Bible verses.
“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life, and that’s a very big part of who I am. I don’t get that impression with him,” Carson said of Trump. “Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t get that.”
Trump has pulled strong support from evangelicals, but has also stumbled on questions about his faith, saying that he does not ask God for forgiveness — a key tenet of Christianity — and declining to cite his favorite Bible verse in a recent interview. And the New York church Trump said he attends told CNN that Trump is not an “active member.”
The squabbling between the two GOP presidential contenders comes as Carson has surged to No. 2 in the most recent CNN/ORC poll.
Carson jumped 10 points to 19%, compared to Trump’s 32%.
Trump, who has repeatedly called himself a counterpuncher, said he was only hitting Carson because he attacked him the day before.
“Who is he to question my faith? When I am — I mean he doesn’t even know me,” Trump said. “When he questions my faith and I’m a believer — big league — in God and the Bible and he questions my faith and he doesn’t know me.”
Trump also jabbed at Carson, applying a line of attack he’s used against former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whom he frequently calls, “low energy.”
“He makes Bush look like the Energizer bunny,” Trump said on “New Day.”
Trump also defended comments he made about Carly Fiorina’s appearance in a Rolling Stone profile published Wednesday, insisting he was not talking about her looks when he said “Look at that face!”
“Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president,” Trump had said while sitting with a Rolling Stone reporter.
“I’m not talking about looks. I’m talking about persona,” Trump insisted on CNN’s “New Day.”
Trump did not refute the accuracy of the quote.
Fiorina declined the opportunity to punch back Wednesday night on Fox News with Megyn Kelly.
“Well, I think those comments speak for themselves,” Fiorina said. “Honestly, Megyn, I’m not going to spend a single cycle wondering what Donald Trump means.”
But then, sensing an opportunity, Fiorina added:
“Maybe — just maybe — I’m getting under his skin a little bit, because I am climbing in the polls.”