Surging GOP presidential contender Carly Fiorina says President Barack Obama and Republican rival Donald Trump share one trait: They both fight dirty.
In an interview
with GQ magazine posted Wednesday, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO also said she's "encouraged by the momentum" provided
by her performance in the Fox News debate.
"I'm not a celebrity and I'm not a professional politician, so it was an opportunity and I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity, and I'm obviously really encouraged by the momentum and the support we have coming out of that," she said.
"And no, I have no trepidation about being on the main stage in September."
Fiorina said though she's "not particularly worried about every comment" Trump makes and deflected a question about whether Trump treats women worse than men – "You'd have to ask him. I don't spend a lot of time analyzing or even observing Donald Trump," she replied. She defended
her critique of Trump's comments to Fox News debate moderator Megyn Kelly.
"[A]s I said on Friday night, there are certain comments for which there is no excuse," she said. "There was no excuse for his comments about Megyn Kelly. Likewise, there are other politicians who are equally below the belt.
"I said there was no excuse for President [Barack] Obama calling anyone who opposes his Iranian deal the equivalent of the Iranian hardliners who are chanting 'Death to America.'
"There are politicians in both parties, unfortunately, who paint with a broad brush, who use insulting or demeaning language, and it's never helpful, it's never helpful," she added.
"I think what a presidential campaign does is reveal character, over time and under pressure," Fiorina added. "Over time and under pressure, voters get to see what somebody’s made of."
Trump chided Fiorina on Twitter last weekend following her defense of Kelly:
In the GQ interview, Fiorina also defended her sharp criticisms of Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, rebuking the GQ interviewer for saying she called Clinton's character "flawed."
"Your words, not mine," she scolded.
GQ, however, pointed to an interview on "Fox News Sunday" in March when Fiorina said Clinton is "not candid, which suggests her character is flawed." The comments start around the 6:14 mark of the following video.
Story continues below video.
"What I have said, which is fact-based and specific, is that she has lied about Benghazi, her emails, and her server," she tells GQ. "All those things are factually correct. I have said that she lacks a track record of accomplishment. That is factually correct. I have also said that based on her statements and her track record that she is not trustworthy, and obviously the majority of Americans agree with me. So I will always endeavor to be fact-based and specific."
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