Donald Trump's controversial pounce on rival Ben Carson's biography and experience certainly illustrates the outspoken GOP presidential candidate's tendency to be "unplugged" – but it may also reflect the strain of the campaign, former aide Roger Stone tells
Newsmax TV.
In an interview Friday on "The Steve Malzberg Show," the GOP political consultant, correspondent for The Daily Caller and editor of StoneZone.com maintains the real estate billionaire's attack on the retired pediatric surgeon Thursday night in Iowa is "the real Donald Trump."
"It's Trump unplugged," he said. "He has questioned Ben Carson in terms of not only his narrative, but also his vision for the country, his ability – never having run anything – to be chief executive…. Trump is his own strategist, he's his own polemicist, he's his own speech writer and it's the real unvarnished Donald Trump."
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Still, Stone speculates some of the intensity of the attack may be due to the grueling pace of the Trump campaign.
"I did notice that they had him scheduled for five days on the road," he said. You might attribute some of it to exhaustion but at the same time Trump is never going to be handled. He is going to set his own pace and he's going to decide what it is that he's going to say."
Stone added no one should expect Trump to walk back the attack either – despite criticism.
"Trump doesn't apologize," he said. "I worked for the man on and off for 30 years. No one puts words in Donald Trump's mouth."
Stone said he would have advised Trump to turn his attention toward Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, "who is beginning to emerge as the candidate of the establishment wing."
"Trump has vanquished Jeb Bush," Stone declared. "I don't care if he's got $100 million in dirty Wall Street money – that's where Trump should be training his fire rather than on Ben Carson."
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