Dr. Ben Carson called Wednesday for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to stop feuding with House Speaker Paul Ryan, saying it’s a “complete waste of time.”
In an interview Wednesday morning, Carson, a top adviser to Trump, told Fox News that the fight with Ryan is “not helpful at all” for the GOP nominee, adding that he should focus on the issues rather than infighting with the speaker.
“The evidence shows that when Donald Trump talks about the issues, he rises. And when he gets into the mud, he falls. I think that information is disseminating, working its way through the system and I think we will see a change as he begins to talk about the issues,” Carson said.
“Getting into fights with Ryan or anybody else — complete waste of time,” Carson told host Martha MacCallum. “It’s not helpful at all.”
“I think it’s getting through … I don’t think it’s too late at all if he gets on message and talks about the issues that affect the people of America,” Carson said.
On Tuesday, Armstrong Williams, a top aide to Carson, told the Washington Post that Carson was uneasy about the attacks on Ryan, saying that while he has maintained his support for Trump, “the last 24 hours have made that support very difficult to maintain.”
Carson’s comments come two days after Ryan told the House Republican Conference that he will not defend Trump moving forward and will not campaign with him ahead of Nov. 8. Since then, Trump has gone after Ryan, particularly on Twitter, calling him a “weak and ineffective leader.”
