Ben Carson said Saturday that he hoped Donald Trump would soon "walk away from the Miss Universe rat-hole stuff" — calling it "nothing but distraction, pure distraction" from the presidential race.
"What he's going to need to concentrate on are the issues," Carson, the former Republican candidate who is now a Trump surrogate, told Uma Pemmaraju on Fox News.
"There is no way in the world that Hillary [Clinton] can compete with him on the issues — on our economy, on jobs, on prison reform, on schools and school choice," the retired pediatric neurosurgeon said. "There's no way she can compete.
"Therefore, she doesn't want to talk about those things — and she's got a whole list of other things besides this Machado woman, believe me, that will lead you down the rat hole if you will take the bait."
Carson was referring to former Miss Universe winner Alicia Machado, whom Trump has criticized for gaining weight.
Clinton mentioned the attacks during Monday's debate with Trump at Hofstra University in New York.
Trump has since said that he may consider bringing up former President Bill Clinton's marital indiscretions in their second debate on Oct. 9 at Washington University in St. Louis.
These character issues should be discussed, Carson told Pemmaraju, but not during the debates.
"I'm not sure that he's the one who needs to spend precious time during the debates, however, talking about it," he said. "It definitely should be talked about when he's out there.
"A lot of the young people, millennials, don't know about all this stuff."
But they do know about such Clinton scandals as Benghazi, her emails and the family foundation — and Trump should attack the Democrat on those issues, Carson said.
"He should not back away from talking about the lives that were lost in Benghazi," he said. "He should not back away from talking about her email server and acid-washing it.
"He needs to make the American people understand, if we're willing to accept that level of dishonesty in our leaders, we're doomed."
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