Carson Says Trump's Attacks Not 'Even Worth My Time'
Carson went on the offensive after Trump attacked him.
— -- Despite Donald Trump’s attacks on Dr. Ben Carson regarding his surge in the polls in Iowa, the retired neurosurgeon says the comments are not "worth my time." Carson does not intend to attack the real-estate mogul. Well, at least not yet.
“I don’t pay attention to that type of stuff, I really don’t. I really got beyond the mudslinging, the mud pit and fighting and calling each other names,” Carson said at a town hall at a fraternity house this morning in Iowa. "I got over that so long ago.”
Saying he doesn’t take the attacks from Trump personally -- the real estate mogul said he was "super low-energy" -- Carson emphasized there are more important issues to be discussing during his campaign.
"I don't take it personally," Carson said. "Again I say let's move onto important issues. That isn't even worth my time."
Trump went through the polls yesterday -– the ones that showed him with a commanding lead –- trying to justify his stance as the frontrunner.
He said he loves Iowa but “honestly think the polls are wrong."
When asked, Carson did say he does not believe the Iowa polls are wrong like Donald Trump has suggested since his lead slipped in the state.
“No I don't think so. But you know like I said before it's a marathon, it's not a sprint. Polls will go up and down over the next year,” he said. "No one should be terribly alarmed and no one should be really excited. It's just steady as you go and keep with your message."
Carson said he wasn't surprised to be leading Trump, but did conceded he was slightly surprised to see the numbers were so high.
"I was not surprised that they were ahead, but I was surprised that they were so far ahead," Carson said today in Iowa. "It was a pretty dramatic change."
Trump also stole an old attack line he’s been using on Jeb Bush and recycled it for Carson.
"Ben Carson is the one that’s leading IA supposedly...But I said but Ben Carson is super low energy, right? He’s super low," Trump said last night. "Super low energy. We need tremendous energy. We need tremendous energy.”
Taking what seemed like a subtle jab at Trump, though not mentioning him by name, he said showing his energy level “doesn’t require a lot of jumping up and down and screaming.”
“My energy level is perfectly fine. As I’ve said many times there have been many times when I’ve operated for 12, 15, 18, 20 hours and that requires a lot of energy,” Carson told reporters at a book signing in Ames when asked whether he needs to increase his energy level. "It doesn’t require a lot of jumping up and down and screaming, but it does require a lot of concentration.”
