Donald Trump compares Ben Carson's 'pathological' temper to child molesters

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CNN/screengrab

Donald Trump on CNN.

Real-estate mogul Donald Trump took his criticism of presidential rival Ben Carson's "pathological" temper to a provocative new level during a Thursday interview on CNN.

"It's in the book that he's got a pathological temper or temperament," Trump told CNN's Erin Burnett, while addressing Carson's memoir.

"That's a big problem because you don't cure that. They say you don't cure, 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 was referring to Carson's autobioraphy, "Gifted Hands," in which the retired neurosurgeon and top-tier Republican candidate described a series of violent incidents, including attacking his mother and trying to stab a friend.

In recent days, Trump has repeatedly homed in on the part of the book 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." Carson said he later had an epiphany and became the famously soft-spoken man he is today.

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But in four back-to-back Sunday-show interviews, Trump described Carson's "pathological disease" as incurable. Trump has also marveled at Carson for defending the accuracy of his violent-episodes accounts in the face of media scrutiny.

"He said he has 'pathological disease' in the book," Trump said on ABC's "This Week." "When you have pathological disease, that's a very serious problem because that's not something that's cured. That's something that you have to live with. And that's a very serious thing to have to live with."