Is Donald J. Trump playing defense?  The billionaire developer unloaded on Ben Carson on Thursday, questioning his faith and his credentials as a doctor. The harsh rebuke was in response to Mr. Carson, a renowned neurosurgeon, suggesting that Mr. Trump seems to lack humility and fear of God.  “Ben Carson is not going to be your next president, that I can tell you,” Mr. Trump told CNN, arguing that Mr. Carson was only an “O.K.” doctor and that he has suddenly remade himself into a man of faith. “All of a sudden he’s, oh, he’s totally anti-abortion. Well, if you look back, you will find he’s a very much different Ben Carson.”  The exchange comes as Mr. Carson’s strength in national and state polls has been growing. A CNN poll on Wednesday showed him in second place behind Mr. Trump and gaining ground quickly.  Mr. Trump has said that he liked Mr. Carson and therefore had avoided attacking him, but on Thursday he appeared to be on the defensive. One moment he said that he had known Mr. Carson for a long time and shortly thereafter he said they barely knew each other.  Mr. Trump also seemed to have little awareness of Mr. Carson’s career history when he said: “And now because he’s a doctor and he hired one nurse, he’s going to end up being the President of the United States?”  Mr. Carson, who said he did not want to engage in a war of words with Mr. Trump, was the first surgeon to successfully separate twins conjoined at the head.
Donald Trump calls into question the faith and medical skill of Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and presidential candidate who is gaining Republican support, according to a new CNN poll.