Donald Trump says he didn't mean it when he likened Ben Carson to a child molester

Donald Trump denies the implications of likening Ben Carson to a child molester.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

When Ben Carson briefly pulled ahead of Donald Trump in the polls last fall, he naturally set himself up to be Trump's punching bag. Referring to a story about a teenage Carson attempting to stab a friend, Trump publicly called Carson "pathological" in November, likening him to a child molester.

"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," Trump said.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.