David, I’d also note that Trump’s past slams of GOP rivals carried much less risk. When Trump rips into Jeb Bush, he’s going after a figure not particularly liked by Republicans. The latest Monmouth poll finds Bush at 41 percent favorable, 39 percent unfavorable among Republicans nationally.

But Ben Carson’s at 67 percent favorable, 6 percent unfavorable, and Carly Fiorina’s at 43 percent favorable, 13 percent unfavorable. So Republican-primary voters may get a little more irritated with these latest comments than with previous exhibitions of Trump’s pugnacious style.