Carson: Trump's Fights With Ryan a 'Complete Waste of Time'

Donald Trump's fights with House Speaker Paul Ryan or anyone else is a "complete waste of time" as the election nears, former rival Ben Carson, who has become one of the GOP nominee's key supporters, said Wednesday.

"The evidence shows that when Donald Trump talks about the issues, he rises," the retired neurosurgeon told Fox News' Martha MacCallum. "When he gets into the mud, he falls . . . so I think we'll see a change. As begins to talk about the issues, there is no way Hillary Clinton can compete with him on the issues."

But fighting with Ryan on the speech stump or through Twitter is "not helpful at all," Carson said.

"Talking about Hillary [Clinton], particularly with the email things that have come out and the various scandals, I think that's truthful, because a lot of people just don't hear about that enough," Carson said. "But even more important than that, by far, are the issues, the economy, and jobs, and education, and immigration, and terrorism. Hillary doesn't have anything to say about those things."

Carson also had issues with former President Bill Clinton, while campaigning for his wife in Florida, suggesting that most of Trump's base is comprised of "rednecks," and commenting that he himself is "basically your standard redneck."

"It's personal, it's not true," Carson said. "I know a lot of people who are not rednecks who are ardent Trump supporters, including yours truly. I don't think I'm a redneck. This is a very interesting election because it's not about Democrats and Republicans, it's about 'we the people' versus 'they the political establishment.'"

The establishment consists of both Democrats and Republicans, Carson said, and they "identify with each other more so than they do with the people.

"I think a lot of people recognize that. That's why two out of three Americans feel we are on the wrong track and need to change directions. It would be more than two out of three if Americans actually paid attention to what's going on."

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