Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Wednesday that retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has even “lower energy” than former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who he had diagnosed as practically narcoleptic just a day earlier.
“Ben will not be able to deal with China, he will not be able to deal with Iran, he will not be able to deal with any of the countries that are really abusing our country,” Mr. Trump said on CNN’s “New Day.”
“Frankly, when you talk about energy, he’s got lower energy than Jeb Bush,” Mr. Trump said. “I don’t know where Ben comes from, but if Ben got in, you would say, ’Oh my God — we have ourselves a problem.’ “
Mr. Carson has moved ahead of Mr. Trump in the latest RealClearPolitics national average on the GOP field, though Mr. Trump has disputed polls that show him behind Mr. Carson.
Mr. Carson said recently on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that while he is soft-spoken, he has “plenty of energy.”
Ahead of his scheduled “Saturday Night Live” appearance, Mr. Trump said Tuesday that he doesn’t want to do an impression of Mr. Bush because he doesn’t like showing a person asleep at a podium.
He has repeatedly labeled the former Florida governor “low energy” on the campaign trail.
During the second GOP debate in September, Mr. Bush said his Secret Service nickname would be “Eveready,” pointing out to Mr. Trump that it’s “very high energy.” The two then exchanged a low five.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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