Friday on CNN while discussing the controversy over Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump ignoring a town hall audience member suggesting President Barack Obama is Muslim, Democratic Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN), the second Muslim to be elected to Congress, said Trump’s action were “not only intentional” but also “insidious.”
Carson was asked, “We noticed the silence today, not just of Donald Trump but of most of the GOP candidates on this. Only Chris Christie and Lindsey Graham coming out to slam Donald Trump for those remarks. Senator Santorum actually said it wasn’t Trump’s responsibility to respond. A lot of silence there. You heard David Axelrod, or rather Josh Earnest, call this a cynical strategy by Republicans. Is it intentional to let these doubts and fears to live out there and appeal to part of their base?”
Carson said, “Not only is it intentional, it’s insidious. I think David Axelrod was correct in saying that Trump didn’t want to incite his base. Let’s be very clear Mr. Trump is an unintelligent man. I’ve met him before. Having said that, I think that there’s a tendency, when you’re looking at poll numbers each and every day, and you being a gadfly, and being provocative helps to push you in numbers and helps to increase your popularity — I think that often becomes concretized and solidifies in a way that is hurtful and harmful.
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNE
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.