Fort Dodge, IA — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump recently criticized his rival Ben Carson while speaking to an audience in Iowa, accusing him of embellishing stories about his troubled youth. He specifically brought up one of Carson’s stories in his book where he says that in a fit of rage, he tried to stab a friend but was blocked by the friend’s belt buckle. Carson says he then became a Christian after that incident.
He went on to say, “How stupid are the people of Iowa? How stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap?”
And then Trump said…
“Give me a break. It doesn’t happen that way,” Trump continued. “It doesn’t happen that way. And some people might not like (what I’ve said) — ‘Oh, that’s not really nice, what you say.’ Don’t be fools. Don’t be fools, OK?”
But the response was mixed. Some applauded, and some laughed — but others said they felt Trump went too far.
Did he really need to go that far?
One attendee said: “I thought he was excellent. But I didn’t think he needed to be so derogatory — to go negative about others. I just really wanted to hear his platform and what he had to say. What changes he was going to make.”
Another attendee said: “I think he should stay away from slamming these other guys, even though he can do it hard. It’s not necessary. I think people, when you talk about division in the country, that’s the last thing you need, you know, to start dividing people who are up there. Everybody’s trying to do something positive for the country this time. Just give them all their due and let the best man win.”
What do you think? Did he go to far? Or is it fair game?