Donald Trump fired back at GOP rival Ben Carson on Thursday, blasting him for questioning his religious faith and remarking that the retired neurosurgeon was "perhaps an OK doctor" and made Jeb Bush, whom he has criticized as "low-energy," look like the "Energizer Bunny" by comparison. "I don't know Ben Carson. He was a doctor, perhaps an OK doctor," Trump said during an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day." Carson, he said, is "not a great religious figure." "Frankly, he makes Jeb Bush look like the Energizer Bunny," Trump added, taking a shot at Carson's calm, measured delivery. Trump told Cuomo to look at Carson's history as a doctor. Donald Trump Rips CNN’s Chris Cuomo: ‘What Are You Making a Statement or Asking a Question?’ “What are you making a statement or asking a question?” the GOP frontrunner said to Cuomo on “New Day” during a series of exchanges on the nuclear deal. When the subject turned to Dr. Ben Carson, Trump went at Cuomo again. “I’m a believer, perhaps you’re not, maybe that’s why your show isn’t doing as well as it should be,” he said. On Iran, Trump said: “We look like a bunch of beggars, we were begging for this deal.” He also defended himself against charges that he criticized Carly Fiorina’s looks in a Rolling Stone profile, where he said: “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?!” “I’m not talking about looks, I’m talking about persona,” he said, adding that Fiorina ran Hewlett Packard into the ground as CEO. Trump also slammed Dr. Ben Carson–who’s in second place behind him–saying his subdued tone makes Jeb Bush “look like the energizer bunny.” In a new CNN/ORC poll out Thursday, Trump drew 32 percent, Carson came in second at 19 percent and Jeb Bush ranked third with nine percent. In the latest case of the Donald being the Donald, he challenged CNN president Jeff Zucker on Wednesday to give “massive profits” from its upcoming GOP debate to American veterans. No comment from CNN thus far. Donald Trump has become the first Republican presidential candidate to top 30% support in the race for the Republican nomination, according to a new CNN/ORC Poll, which finds the businessman pulling well away from the rest of the GOP field. Trump gained 8 points since August to land at 32% support, and has nearly tripled his support since just after he launched his campaign in June. The new poll finds former neurosurgeon Ben Carson rising 10 points to land in second place with 19%. Together, these two non-politicians now hold the support of a majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, and separately, both are significantly ahead of all other competitors. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush stands in third place with 9%, down 4 points since August, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz holds fourth place with 7%. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker follow at 5%, with all other candidates at 3% or less, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who notched the only other statistically significant shift in the poll by falling 5 points since August. READ: The complete CNN/ORC poll results Trump's gains come most notably among two groups that had proven challenging for him in the early stages of his campaign -- women and those with college degrees. While he gained just 4 points among men in the last month (from 27% in August to 31% now), he's up 13 points among women, rising from 20% in August to 33% now. Trump has also boosted his share of the vote among college graduates, increasing his support among those with degrees from 16% in August to 28% now. Among those without degrees, he stands at 33%, just slightly higher than the 28% support he had in August. Trump has also catapulted ahead of the rest of the field among Republicans who back the tea party movement, from 27% support in August to 41% now. Among that group in the new poll, Carson follows with 21%, and Cruz, another candidate with an anti-Washington message, holds third with 11%. No other candidate tops 5% among tea partiers. Carson's gains, meanwhile, have come chiefly among core partisans -- he's up 13 points among Republicans and 11 points among conservatives -- and he runs closest to Trump among white evangelicals (32% back Trump, 28% Carson), a key voting bloc within the Republican primary electorate. Carson also has enthusiasm at his side. Republicans are more than twice as likely to say they would be enthusiastic with Carson at the top of the ticket than if Rubio, Cruz, Walker or Bush led the GOP into 2016, and while he and Trump are about even in enthusiasm (43% would be enthusiastic if Carson got the nod, 40% if Trump did), fewer say they would be disappointed if Carson emerged the victor (20% would be dissatisfied or upset if Carson won, 32% if Trump did).

• published: 10 Sep 2015
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