Ben Carson Says Donald Trump Has A Twitter ‘Problem,’ Wants Someone To Close Down Candidate’s Account

Donald Trump’s obvious penchant for incendiary tweets has provided fodder for pundits, political rivals, and late-night comedians during the course of the present election cycle. But while many have speculated that Twitter hurts rather than helps Trump’s standing with voters, the candidate often shrugs off criticism and returns to social media time and again. But in light of some concerns expressed by those within his inner circle, the billionaire candidate could finally be on the way to reassessing his affinity for the popular outlet.

As reported by Politico, Dr. Ben Carson recently expressed concern with regard to Donald Trump’s frequent use of Twitter, noting that the outspoken businessman often creates potentially damaging controversy with his tweets. During a radio interview with Florida radio host Joyce Kaufman, Carson said that Trump has discussed the matter with his closest associates and members of his family.

“We talk about it, and a number of people have talked about it, including his family,” Carson said during the aforementioned interview. “And he knows that it’s a problem. The first part of the problem is recognizing that it exists.” Additional excerpts posted by Buzzfeed included a comment by Ben Carson in which he expressed hope that “someone” would eventually close down Trump’s Twitter account.

Carson, a former rival of Trump, now supports the GOP front-runner in his bid for high office. As a popular motivational speaker and retired neurosurgeon, Ben Carson ranks among the most prestigious public figures to endorse Donald Trump in his bid for President. Both Carson and Trump share skepticism when it comes to the mainstream media and Carson tied this into the discussion regarding Trump’s use of Twitter, suggesting that online bluster creates fuel for Trump’s detractors.

“I think a number of us are working on that particular problem because the liberal media, in particular, just knows that whenever he starts getting some momentum, all we have to do is say something about him and he starts going off and then we can get him distracted again,” Carson said in comments re-posted by Politico.

Ben Carson himself was the butt of some blunt criticism by Donald Trump via Twitter when the two were still actively competing for the Republican nomination. On the heels of Carson’s endorsement of Donald Trump, Jezebel compiled a list of insulting and critical tweets Trump posted about Carson during the course of their rivalry. In some of his most vitriolic comments, Donald Trump said that Carson was “worse than Jeb (Bush)” and “like (A)mbien for insomnia.” He also ridiculed Ben Carson’s anecdotes about stabbing a friend and hitting his mother with a hammer and poked fun at the doctor’s belief that the ancient Pyramids were silos for grain storage.

One of Donald Trump’s most controversial jabs at Ben Carson occurred not via Twitter, but during an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett. As recounted by Talking Points Memo, Donald Trump likened Ben Carson’s “pathological” temper to the actions of a child molester.

Even Donald Trump himself has recently expressed some degree of regret for his antics on Twitter, recently referring to his decision to retweet an unflattering photograph of Heidi Cruz as “a mistake.” The post compared the wife of Ted Cruz to Trump’s own spouse Melania Trump, including the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words.” CBS News reported that Trump discussed the matter with New York Times writer Maureen Dowd, telling her that if he could do things over again, he would not have re-posted the tweet, which was originally posted by a supporter.

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