Tipsheet

CBS Confronts Trump: Is It Hypocritical For You To Question Cruz's Faith?

Last week, Donald Trump was offended when Pope Francis appeared to question the validity of his Christian faith. On a flight from Mexico to Rome, Francis told the press that Christians build bridges, not walls - comments that seemed to take direct aim at Trump's immigration policy. 

It's "disgraceful," for the pope to suggest he's not a Christian, Trump initially responded, before walking back the comments. 

Yet, some are now suggesting that Trump has no right to be so offended by the pope's remarks, for he's guilty of the same thing. 

In the weeks leading up to the first Republican primaries, Trump questioned his opponent Ted Cruz's faith. "To the best of my knowledge, not too many evangelicals come out of Cuba, okay?", Trump said at a campaign event. More recently, Trump has held the sincerity of Cruz's faith up for discussion while calling him a liar. In particular, he was shocked by the Cruz campaign's telling their supporters that Ben Carson was suspending his campaign ahead of the South Carolina vote, which was untrue. Cruz "holds up the Bible" and lies, Trump has often emphasized.

Trump appeared on CBS on Sunday after his win in South Carolina, where John Dickerson asked Trump whether those attacks make him a hypocrite.

“Why is it okay for you and not okay for the Pope?” Dickerson demanded.

"I never questioned Ted's religion," Trump returned. 

He's not launching an inquiry into Cruz's Christianity, he continued. He just thought it was "inappropriate" for the Texas senator to "lie and hold up a Bible."

Plenty of issues need to be debated in a campaign cycle - the voters demand nothing less. Yet, should the candidates' religious beliefs be put in this same spotlight?