Getty Trump compares 'pathological' Carson to child molesters 
 
 Donald Trump lashed out at Ben Carson on Thursday, likening his "pathological" temperament to that of a child molester’s. 
 
 In an appearance on CNN’s "Erin Burnett OutFront," the billionaire businessman said that there is no cure for his 2016 presidential opponent’s condition, citing Carson's own memoir as his source. 
 
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 “It's in the book that he's got a pathological temper," he said. "That's a big problem because you don't cure that ... as an example: child molesting. You don't cure these people. You don't cure a child molester. There's no cure for it. Pathological, there's no cure for that." 
 
 Carson has been upfront about his volatile temper. In "Gifted Hands," his autobiography published in the early 1990s, he described several violent incidents, including wanting to hit his mother with a hammer and trying to stab a close friend, only to be stopped by a belt buckle. Carson's stories, a crucial component of his redemption narrative, have come into a question after a CNN investigation failed to turn up any corroboration. 
 
 Trump has taken issue this week with one specific passage in which Carson wrote, "I had what I only can label a pathological temper — a disease — and this sickness controlled me, making me totally irrational." 
 
 "I'm not bringing up anything that's not in his book," Trump said Thursday, adding, “I'm not saying anything other than pathological is a very serious disease. And he said he's pathological.” 
 
 A top Carson aide, Armstrong Williams, responded late Thursday. "Mr. Trump likes Dr. Carson, but Mr. Trump has resentment when he sees Dr. Carson rise,” he told CNN. "He lashes out like he did tonight and resents Dr. Carson's continued rise and Dr. Carson (getting) the attention of the press and American people." 
 
 Trump and Carson are vying for supremacy in the GOP nomination race, with the real estate mogul edging the retired surgeon by mere decimal places in the latest RealClearPolitics average of national polls. ||||| Story highlights Trump cites Carson's own autobiography 
 
 "You don't cure a child molester," the real estate mogul said 
 
 Carson campaign responds, says Trump "resents" Carson's rise 
 
 (CNN) Donald Trump said Thursday that Ben Carson's self-described "pathological temper" is incurable -- adding that it's like the sickness of a "child molester." 
 
 "It's in the book that he's got a pathological temper," Trump told "Erin Burnett OutFront," speaking about Carson's autobiography. "That's a big problem because you don't cure that ... as an example: child molesting. You don't cure these people. You don't cure a child molester. There's no cure for it. Pathological, there's no cure for that." 
 
 In his 1990 autobiography, "Gifted Hands," Carson attributes violent behavior in his youth to his "disease," a "pathological temper" that the Republican presidential hopeful said caused him to strike one friend with a rock and attempt to stab another. In subsequent accounts of his violent youth, Carson said he once attempted to attack his mother with a hammer. 
 
 "I'm not bringing up anything that's not in his book," Trump told Erin Burnett. "You know, when he says he went after his mother and wanted to hit her in the head with a hammer, that bothers me. I mean, that's pretty bad. When he says he's pathological -- and he says that in the book, I don't say that -- and again, I'm not saying anything, I'm not saying anything other than pathological is a very serious disease. And he said he's pathological, somebody said he has pathological disease." 
 
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 Buy Photo Donald Trump speaks at a campaign stop in Fort Dodge, Ia. (Photo: Brianne Pfannenstiel/The Register)Buy Photo 
 
 FORT DODGE, Ia. — Businessman Donald Trump criticized Republican rival Ben Carson on Thursday in Fort Dodge for possibly embellishing stories about his troubled youth. 
 
 At one point, Trump stepped out from behind the podium to reenact one of those stories in which Carson has said that, in a fit of rage, he tried to stab a friend but was blocked by the friend’s belt buckle. 
 
 “I have a belt,” Trump said, opening his jacket and revealing his midsection. “Somebody hits me with a knife, it’s going in because the belt moves this way. It moves this way. It moves that way! It moves the buckle! Anybody have a knife and want to try it on me?” 
 
 Some aspects of Carson’s personal history have recently come under fire as media outlets have attempted to verify stories he’s told about his past. A CNN investigation could not verify the stabbing story or others. 
 
 Carson criticized the media and repeatedly said that those events did occur, but Trump said he is skeptical. 
 
 MORE: Trump in his own words: Highlights of a 95-minute rant 
 
 “How stupid are the people of Iowa?” Trump asked. “How stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap?” 
 
 The stabbing story in particular has been pivotal to Carson’s narrative; he wrote that after that incident, he went into a bathroom and prayed. When he exited, he was a Christian and began to reshape his life. 
 
 “Give me a break. It doesn’t happen that way,” said Trump. “It doesn’t happen that way. And some people might not like (what I’ve said) — 'Oh, that’s not really nice, what you say.' Don’t be fools. Don’t be fools, OK?” 
 
 And although the comments drew applause and laughter from the crowd, some attendees said they felt Trump went too far. 
 
 “I think he should stay away from slamming these other guys, even though he can do it hard,” said Michael McGivney, a Gowrie resident who currently is homeschooling his grandkids. ”It’s not necessary. I think people, when you talk about division in the country, that’s the last thing you need, you know, to start dividing people who are up there. Everybody’s trying to do something positive for the country this time. Just give them all their due and let the best man win.” 
 
 He said otherwise he thought Trump was energetic and funny, and he’s still considering voting for him. 
 
 Linda Albright, a Gowrie resident and registered Democrat, said she also enjoyed Trump’s speech but wished he had stayed clear of the attacks. 
 
 In addition to Carson, Trump hit on Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, George Pataki and John Kasich. 
 
 “I thought he was excellent,” Albright said. “But I didn’t think he needed to be so derogatory — to go negative about others. I just really wanted to hear his platform and what he had to say. What changes he was going to make.” 
 
 Albright said she likes that Trump is assertive and would “definitely” consider voting for him. 
 
 “I think we need somebody who’s strong, who’s going to go to work, going to get people back working, and keep the businesses in the United States instead of overseas,” she said. 
 
 Before attending the rally in Fort Dodge, Trump stopped at the POET Biorefining plant in Gowrie to tour the plant and discuss the renewable fuel standard with plant leadership and the co-chairs of America’s Renewable Energy. 
 
 Iowa is the nation’s leading ethanol producer, and the Gowrie plant is designed to produce 69 million gallons of ethanol annually, according to its website. 
 
 That meeting was closed to the public, but afterward, Trump took two questions from a group of about 35 people who had been invited to a closed event. There, Trump affirmed his support of the renewable fuel standard. 
 
 “I just want to tell you, you have my support,” he said. “I’m with you.” 
 
 AT THE EVENT 
 
 SETTING: A room at the POET Biorefining plant in Gowrie and Decker Auditorium at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. 
 
 CROWD: About 35 people were invited to attend the event in Gowrie. In Fort Dodge, a Trump staffer said they estimated 1,600 people attended. The 1,200-person auditorium was full, with many people standing and others in an overflow room. 
 
 REACTION: Audience members in Gowrie said they appreciated hearing Trump’s support for the RFS. In Fort Dodge, some said they wished he had focused more on his own policies rather than attacking other Republicans. 
 
 WHAT’S NEXT: Trump will be back in Iowa Nov. 19 for a town hall event broadcast by WHO-TV. 
 
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– Donald Trump laid into Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and, most of all, Ben Carson in a Thursday night speech in Fort Dodge, Iowa that the Washington Post describes as a "95-minute rant." He accused Clinton of playing the "woman's card" and said Rubio was "weak like a baby," per the Post, then took the insults to another level during the 10 minutes or so he spent on Carson. Trump called his rival "damaged" and, pointing to Carson's claim in his autobiography that he had a "pathological temper" as a young man, likened him to a child molester. "If you're a child molester, there's no cure. They can't stop you," he told a crowd estimated at around 1,500 people. "Pathological? There's no cure." Trump made the same argument about Carson being "incurable" in a Thursday CNN interview, reports Politico. "It's in the book that he's got a pathological temper," he told Erin Burnett. "That's a big problem because you don't cure that. As an example: child molesting. You don't cure these people." At the Iowa rally, Trump scoffed at Carson's account of trying to stab a friend as a teen and being blocked by his belt buckle. He opened his jacket, displayed his belt, and invited audience members to try the same move, the Des Moines Register reports. "How stupid are the people of Iowa?" Trump wondered. "How stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap?" (The last time Trump insulted Iowans, he blamed it on a "young intern.")