As Ben Carson solidifies his new position as the Republican presidential frontrunner in Iowa, Donald Trump is pledging to “work a little bit harder.”
In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper set to air Sunday at 12 p.m. ET, Trump admits he was shocked to see Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, move past him in the earliest voting state.
Two separate polls this week found Carson surging to first place in Iowa with 28 percent support while Trump lagged behind at 20 percent and 19 percent. A third survey of likely Republican caucus-goers in Iowa conducted by the Believe Again PAC also found Carson leading Trump 28-20 percent.
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“I was really surprised to see it because, you know, I was just in Iowa three days ago and we drew a packed crowd,” the real estate mogul told Tapper.
“I’ve done really well with the evangelicals and with the Tea Party and everything and I just don’t understand the number, but I accept the number,” he added. “It means I have to work a little bit harder in Iowa.”
Despite telling Tapper that he “likes Carson,” Trump went on to throw punches at the soft-spoken candidate for “supporting amnesty.”
“Ben Carson is very, very weak on immigration. He believes in amnesty strongly. He believes in citizenship,” Trump said, adding, “He’s going to give citizenship to people who are here illegally — you can’t do that.”
During a rally in Miami, Fla., Friday, Trump joked that he tried to alert Carson to his new lead in Iowa “but he was sleeping.” Trump arrived in Jacksonsville, Fla. Saturday where thousands turned out to hear him speak at one of his signature Make America Great Again rallies.
