Washington (CNN) Donald Trump came under fire Friday morning for his handling of a question at a town hall about when the U.S. can "get rid" of Muslims, for failing to take issue with that premise and an assertion that President Barack Obama is Muslim. 
 
 Trump, who has shaken off several high-profile controversies that would have ended other presidential campaigns, faced an immediate backlash from advocacy groups, and members of his own party distanced themselves from the GOP front-runner. The incident recalls Trump's 2011 quest to challenge Obama on where he was born, which ended with Obama releasing his long-form birth certificate. It also follows a debate performance Wednesday that garnered mixed reviews for the billionaire businessman. 
 
 "We have a problem in this country. It's called Muslims," an unidentified man who spoke at a question-and-answer town hall event in Rochester, New Hampshire asked the mogul at a rally Thursday night. "You know our current president is one. You know he's not even an American." 
 
 A seemingly bewildered Trump interrupted the man, chuckling, "We need this question. This is the first question." 
 
 "Anyway, we have training camps growing where they want to kill us," the man, wearing a "Trump" T-shirt, continued. "That's my question: When can we get rid of them?" 
 
 "We're going to be looking at a lot of different things," Trump replied. "You know, a lot of people are saying that and a lot of people are saying that bad things are happening. We're going to be looking at that and many other things." 
 
 The real estate mogul did not correct the questioner about his claims about Obama before moving on to another audience member. 
 
 White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest condemned the remarks Friday, but added "Is anybody really surprised that this happened at a Donald Trump rally?" 
 
 The audience members comments and Trump's response were quickly denounced by Democrats. Hillary Clinton, the party's front-runner for president, personally tweeted late Thursday that Trump's remarks were "just plain wrong," and followed up on it Friday morning at a press conference. 
 
 "I was appalled," Clinton said bluntly to a question from CNN's Suzanne Malveaux. "Not only was it out of bounds, it was untrue. He should have from the beginning corrected that kind of rhetoric, that level of hatefulness." 
 
 Fellow Democratic hopefuls Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley condemned the remarks. 
 
 Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, called the incident a sign of "a lack of moral courage." 
 
 "I don't know if Trump is using dog-whistle politics to win support in the polls, or if he genuinely believes the racist things he says. Either way, he showed a complete lack of moral courage in that clip, and he has shown once again that he completely unqualified to be President of the United States." 
 
 Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz flatly called Trump a racist in a statement. 
 
 "GOP front-runner Donald Trump's racism knows no bounds. This is certainly horrendous, but unfortunately unsurprising given what we have seen already. The vile rhetoric coming from the GOP candidates is appalling," Schultz said. "(Republicans) should be ashamed, and all Republican presidential candidates must denounce Trump's comments immediately or will be tacitly agreeing with him." 
 
 After the event, several reporters asked Trump why he didn't challenge the questioner's assertions. Trump did not answer. 
 
 But Corey Lewandowski, Trump's campaign manager, later told CNN that the candidate did not hear the question about Obama being a Muslim. 
 
 "All he heard was a question about training camps, which he said we have to look into," Lewandowski said. "The media want to make this an issue about Obama, but it's about him waging a war on Christianity." 
 
 Trump announced Friday that he would cancel his trip to South Carolina, citing "a significant business transaction." 
 
 New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Friday that he would not "lecture" Trump on how to respond to comments like that, but said that leaders are responsible for correcting voters on certain issues. 
 
 "I'll tell you what I would do and I wouldn't have permitted that if someone brought that up at a town hall meeting of mine. I would have said, 'No, listen. Before we answer let's clear some things up for the rest of the audience.' And I think you have an obligation as a leader to do that," Christie said on NBC's "TODAY" Friday. 
 
 Falsehoods persist about Obama's background 
 
 Obama, who has spoken openly about his Christian faith, was born to an American mother and Kenyan father in Hawaii. But Trump has been one of the leading skeptics of Obama's birthplace, saying he did not know where Obama was born as recently as July 
 
 A recent CNN/ORC poll found 29% of Americans believe Obama is a Muslim, including 43% of Republicans. 
 
 Trump is not the first Republican candidate to raise eyebrows over comments involving Obama and his ethnic and religious background. In February, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker became embroiled in a brief controversy when he told The Washington Post that he didn't know if Obama was a Christian. 
 
 "I've never asked him that," Walker said. A spokeswoman later clarified that he did believe Obama was Christian, but disagreed with the media's obsession with "gotcha" questions. 
 
 And in 2008, Republican presidential nominee John McCain was booed after he famously told an audience member at a campaign event that Obama was a "good family man." 
 
 "He's a decent family man ... (a) citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues," McCain said then. "That's what this campaign is all about." ||||| AP Photo Donald Trump finds religion Under pressure from GOP rivals, the front-runner tells evangelicals he is with them. 
 
 Struggling to find his footing after a grueling Republican debate, Donald Trump has turned to religion. 
 
 The weakened GOP pack leader on Saturday night went to greater length than ever before to convince an evangelical audience in Iowa that he is a God-fearing and forgiveness-seeking Christian. 
 
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 "I'm one of you," Trump said at an Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition dinner. "Just remember that." 
 
 "I brought my Bible," he said, waving it during his speech. "See? I'm better than you thought." 
 
 Trump has spent the days following Wednesday’s debate trying to reconnect with voters as political operatives call his front-runner status into question. And he needs to if he aims to maintain his thin lead in Iowa and among white, religious Republicans elsewhere. 
 
 Ben Carson, who speaks openly about his faith and has long been a favorite of the same socially conservative voters, has gained substantially on Trump in the polls, and some surveys show him beating out Trump among evangelicals in Iowa. And Carly Fiorina, who had a stand-out performance in Wednesday's debate in part because of her steely shut-down of Trump and his criticism of her appearance is also on the rise. Religious conservatives particularly appreciate her anti-Planned Parenthood rhetoric. 
 
 Trump, the thrice-married bombastic businessman who was once in favor of abortion rights, is not a natural fit with evangelical voters, even if he has been polling well with that group. And on Saturday night, he tacitly acknowledged his shortcomings in a 15-minute speech and question-and-answer session, in which Trump showed off his confirmation picture as proof of his long connection to church. 
 
 Nobody can believe it, nobody believes this," he said of his confirmation picture. To laughs, he continued, "What went wrong? What went wrong?" 
 
 But his overtures to the evangelicals gathered at the dinner were more on target than those he made in July, when he spoke at the Family Leadership Summit. There, he initially said he didn't think he had ever sought forgiveness from God, before going on to clarify, "When I drink my little wine -- which is about the only wine I drink -- and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed." 
 
 Those glib remarks didn't damage him in the polls at the time. But on Saturday night, under increasing pressure from other rivals, Trump was less flip, and sought to strike an earnest note as he talked in generalities about his faith. 
 
 Trump promised to fight for religious liberty "like nobody can fight, because I'm a good fighter" and adopted the argument so many Republicans seeking evangelical support are using this campaign season, saying Christians are facing discrimination for their beliefs. 
 
 "Before you know it, we won't be able to go to church the way they're doing it. We have nobody fighting for us." 
 
 Trump was largely well-received, as he noted that he is still out-polling rivals following the debate and basked, as usual, in applause and laughter. The crowd appeared largely forgiving of several missteps that underscored his relative inexperience in courting religious conservatives. 
 
 A slew of other candidates who have spent more time engaging that constituency also traipsed through the ballroom. Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee, the two previous winners of the Iowa Caucuses, both talked at length about abortion and social issues more broadly. Ted Cruz, Scott Walker and Bobby Jindal railed against Washington's assault on personal and religious liberties. And Fiorina and Carson both spoke by video, with Carson in particular focusing on the role faith has played in his life and his presidential campaign. Lindsey Graham, a longshot, stood out from the others by promising to campaign in Hispanic and African American churches should he win the GOP nomination. 
 
 But Trump, for his part, bragged about the attention he’s received for not correcting a questioner at a town hall who said President Obama was Muslim. The real estate mogul read his tweets about the controversy that followed. 
 
 "Am I morally obligated to defend the president every time somebody says something bad or controversial about him? I don't think so!” Trump read to applause. 
 
 He also took a swipe at Sen. John McCain, the 2008 GOP nominee who during that election corrected a voter who called Obama an Arab. 
 
 "That's a little harsh, anyone agree with me?" Trump said of McCain. "They gave him so much credit. Not me." 
 
 And he took a moment to tell the crowd he’s still the contender in the spotlight. 
 
 "I even beat out the Pope!" Trump marveled about the attention he’s winning even as America prepares for a visit from Pope Francis. “Can you believe it? It's the only time I've beat out the Pope." ||||| Ben Carson says no Muslim should ever become US president 
 
 The Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has said no Muslim should be president of the United States of America. 
 
 In an interview with NBC for broadcast on Sunday morning, the retired neurosurgeon said: “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.” 
 
 Carson’s discussion with Meet the Press host Chuck Todd centered around controversy that arose this week when Donald Trump – the real-estate mogul keeping Carson in second place in the polls – failed to correct an audience member at a New Hampshire campaign rally who said President Obama was a Muslim. 
 
 The audience member also appeared to advocate the forcible removal of Muslims from the US. 
 
 On Saturday, in a series of tweets on the subject, Trump defended himself and said: “Am I morally obligated to defend the president every time somebody says something bad or controversial about him? I don’t think so!” 
 
 Trump: I was not obligated to correct questioner who called Obama Muslim Read more 
 
 He also addressed the issue in an appearance before an evangelical audience in Iowa, at which he brandished a Bible and said: “You see, I’m better than you thought.” 
 
 In such circles, Trump has lost some support to Carson. 
 
 In his NBC interview, Carson was asked: “So do you believe that Islam is consistent with the constitution?” 
 
 
 
 “No,” he said, “I don’t, I do not.” 
 
 Article VI of the US constitution states: “No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” 
 
 The first amendment to the constitution begins: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …” 
 
 Carson, a Christian, is a member of the Seventh Day Adventist church. In October, he will publish a new book, written with his wife Candy Carson and entitled A More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties. 
 
 In publicity material issued by Penguin Random House, Carson is quoted as saying: “I believe that making a difference starts with understanding our amazing founding document, the US constitution. 
 
 “And as someone who has performed brain surgery thousands of times, I can assure you that the constitution isn’t brain surgery. 
 
 He adds that he and his wife wrote the book to “help defend” the constitution “from those who misinterpret and undermine it”. 
 
 Carson did have a constituency to speak to, however. In a recent poll, 38% of voters said they would not vote for a Muslim president. 
 
 Quiet rise of Ben Carson is shaking up Republican presidential race Read more 
 
 The Ohio governor, John Kasich, who is polling an average of 2.5%, enough for 10th place out of 16, was also asked by NBC if he “would ever have a problem with a Muslim becoming president”. 
 
 Kasich, one of the more moderate candidates in the GOP field, also had to field a question about whether he was a Republican at all. He did not say he would have a problem with a Muslim president, but nor did he dismiss the question. 
 
 “You know, I mean, that’s such a hypothetical question,” Kasich said. “The answer is, at the end of the day, you’ve got to go through the rigours, and people will look at everything. 
 
 “But, for me, the most important thing about being president is you have leadership skills, you know what you’re doing, and you can help fix this country and raise this country. Those are the qualifications that matter to me.” 
 
 Carson was also asked if he would consider voting for a Muslim candidate for Congress. 
 
 He said: “Congress is a different story, but it depends on who that Muslim is and what their policies are, just as it depends on what anybody else says, you know.” 
 
 Two members of Congress, both Democrats, are Muslim: Keith Ellison of Minnesota was elected to the House of Representatives in 2007 and André Carson of Indiana followed in 2008. 
 
 Every American should be disturbed … national figures are engaging in and tolerating blatant acts of religious bigotry Representative Keith Ellison 
 
 This week, Ellison carried a clock around Congress to show support for Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old boy who was arrested at his school in Irving, Texas, over suspicions a homemade clock was in fact a bomb. 
 
 On Sunday Ellison, the first Muslim ever elected to Congress, released a statement in answer to Carson’s comments. 
 
 “For Ben Carson, Donald Trump, or any other Republican politician to suggest that someone of any faith is unfit for office is out of touch with who we are as a people,” he said. 
 
 “It’s unimaginable that the leading GOP presidential candidates are resorting to fear mongering to benefit their campaigns, and every American should be disturbed that these national figures are engaging in and tolerating blatant acts of religious bigotry.” 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Donald Trump fields questions in New Hampshire. 
 
 Ahmed Mohamed is tired, excited to meet Obama – and wants his clock back Read more 
 
 According to the Pew Research Center, the 114th Congress contains 491 Christians, of which 306 are Protestant, split between 13 sects though without any declared Anabaptists, Quakers or Pietists. 
 
 Another 164 members of Congress are Catholic, while 16 are Mormon and five Orthodox Christian. As well as the two Muslims there are 28 Jewish and two Buddhist members of Congress; there is one Hindu member, one Unitarian Universalist and one “unaffiliated”. 
 
 Nine members of Congress either told the Pew researchers they didn’t know what religion they were, or refused to answer the question. 
 
 On Meet the Press, Carson continued: “And, you know, if there’s somebody who’s of any faith, but they say things, and their life has been consistent with things that will elevate this nation and make it possible for everybody to succeed, and bring peace and harmony, then I’m with them.” 
 
 Asked if he believed President Obama was both born in the US – another issue raised at the Trump rally on Thursday and not rebutted by the candidate – and a Christian, Carson said: “I believe that he is. I have no reason to doubt what he says.”
– When Donald Trump initially took flak for not challenging a questioner's assertion that President Obama is a non-American Muslim, his campaign explained that he hadn't heard that part of the question. This morning, however, Trump himself took to Twitter in a far more defiant tone: "Am I morally obligated to defend the president every time somebody says something bad or controversial about him? I don't think so!" he tweeted. Then he pointed out that "this is the first time in my life that I have caused controversy by NOT saying something." He reeled off three more, one asserting that president Obama wouldn't have defended him if the situation were reversed, another saying the media would have castigated him on free-speech grounds if he had challenged the man, and another saying that Christians' "religious liberty is at stake" around the world. (Still, critics are pouncing, including the White House.)