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What Does Carly Fiorina Think Of Donald Trump?

by Kim Lyons

As the only woman in the field of people running for the Republican nomination for president, Carly Fiorina is in the unenviable position of being treated as the "female candidate," which means she'll get questions about things like the color of her nail polish (yes, in 2015. Sigh). But what does Fiorina think of Donald Trump? Prior to his controversial remarks about Fox News' Megyn Kelly and the "blood coming from her... wherever," Fiorina's reaction to Trump's performance during the first GOP debate was somewhat muted.

But after the "blood" comment, it seemed like the gloves were off. She said on CNN's State of the Union that Trump's remark was "completely inappropriate and offensive." She's dealt with that kind of attitude personally, Fiorina told host Jake Tapper, even when she was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. "I've had lots of men imply that I was unfit for decision-making because maybe I was having my period," she said. Fiorina has tweeted, "I stand with Megyn Kelly," and she pointed out on Face the Nation that Trump was asked tough questions by the other two male moderators in the Fox News debate, Brett Baier and Brit Hume, but only singled out Kelly in his vitriol. "I think women of all kinds are really sort of horrified by this," she said.

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Even before Trump opened his mouth during last Thursday's debate, Fiorina had already tried to distance herself from the GOP front-runner for the remarks he made during his campaign announcement speech about Mexicans being "rapists." As far back as early July, Fiorina sounded like she was already tired of Trump and his antics, saying during a campaign stop in New Hampshire that "he doesn’t represent me, and he doesn’t represent my party." Trump, Fiorina said, is "a tireless self-promoter. So he’s going to say lots of outrageous things, as he always does."

But despite her apparent distaste for the New York real estate mogul, Fiorina said earlier this week that if he gets the party's nomination, she'll support his candidacy. She's also acknowledged his ability to connect with voters in the Republican base who feel angry and identify with his fiery comments and sense of outrage. She said on conservative Hugh Hewitt's radio show that if he's the one voters pick, Trump is the one she'll support. "Uniting the party after a nomination contest so that we can beat our opponent is the most important thing." That has to be a tough pill to swallow though, and it's clear Trump wouldn't return the same courtesy if the roles were reversed.