White House hopeful Ben Carson said Thursday that GOP rival Donald Trump’s war of words with Pope Francis marks a new low this campaign season.
“This is how bad it’s gotten [that] even the pope weighs in,” he told host Neil Cavuto on Fox Business Network’s “Cavuto Coast to Coast.”
{mosads}Earlier Thursday the pope signaled his disagreement with Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico, saying such suggestions were “not Christian.” The real estate mogul fought back hard, deriding Francis as “disgraceful” for questioning his faith.
“It would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad,” Carson said. “We’ve seen this before in history where people get distracted and don’t look at what’s important. They lose their vision.”
Carson refused to comment, however, on whether Trump’s public conduct means he is not a true man of faith.
“I’m not going to judge Donald Trump in terms of whether he’s a Christian or not,” said Carson, a Seventh Day Adventist.
“Certainly some of the things that he does may not be suggestive of Christianity, but then again, all of us have weaknesses and shortcomings,” he added of Trump, a Presbyterian. “That’s what it’s all about.”
The former neurosurgeon argued that national anxiety is reducing the importance of religion in picking American leaders.
“Our country is shifting to a degree that sometimes peoples’ faith is not the most predominant thing in their lives,” he said. “I think that a lot of people are so frightened at this stage of the game that they’re willing to overlook almost anything so long as they get some comfort.”
“Donald Trump does give people comfort,” Carson added.