Republican presidential candidates Sunday piled on front-runner Donald Trump, suggesting the real estate mogul lacks the policy knowledge and the self-discipline to be commander in chief.
Although he remains on top in the polls, Mr. Trump has struggled in recent days to overcome accusations that he wildly bends the truth to suit his purposes, specifically and most recently his repeated claim that thousands of Muslims were celebrating in New Jersey in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Media outlets and fact-checkers have debunked that assertion, but Mr. Trump stood by it Sunday.
“I saw it on television. So did many other people. I saw it at the time. I stick by it. Hundreds of people have confirmed it,” Mr. Trump said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program. “I’ve had hundreds of people call in and tweet on Twitter saying that they saw it and I was 100 percent right. Why would I take it back? I’m not going to take it back.”
Mr. Trump also has come under fire for appearing to mock the physical disability of a New York Times reporter, though he has denied that charge and has even called on the newspaper to apologize to him.
Other contenders in the Republican primary have taken clear aim at Mr. Trump and are seeking to capitalize on the front-runner’s missteps by casting him as a loose cannon who shouldn’t be trusted with the party’s nomination.
Carly Fiorina, for example, said on “Fox News Sunday” that Mr. Trump’s comments about Times reporter Serge Kovaleski shine a light on broader flaws.
“This is the pattern — the pattern is he says something insulting, offensive, outrageous, the media pays attention, then he claims we all misunderstood him, the media pays attention again,” said Mrs. Fiorina, who herself was the object of that pattern. Mr. Trump claimed remarks he made about Mrs. Fiorina’s face were merely about her persona.
“This is the pattern perhaps of an entertainer. It’s certainly not the pattern of the leader,” Mrs. Fiorina said. “Apparently, Donald Trump only feels big when he’s trying to make everyone else look small. Of course, in the end, he looks the smallest of all.”
Other candidates are split on whether they would even back Mr. Trump if he captures the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.
Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, for example, refused to say Sunday whether he would support Mr. Trump in a general election. Instead, he insisted there is virtually no chance that Mr. Trump will lead the party into the 2016 general election.
“I think he’s very divisive, and I do not believe he will last,” Mr. Kasich said on ABC’s “This Week” program.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, however, said he would back Mr. Trump in the general election, though he, too, has raised serious doubts about the front-runner’s competence.
On Sunday, Mr. Bush reiterated why he believes Republican voters should reject Mr. Trump.
“I have great doubts about Donald Trump’s ability to be commander in chief,” he said on the CBS “Face the Nation” program. “It’s kind of scary, to be honest with you, because he’s not a serious candidate.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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