Carson defends his Trump endorsement
The View’s Whoopi Goldberg has been out sick for most of this week, but she returned to her moderator chair just in time Thursday morning. It was the first time Dr. Ben Carson had returned to the show since dropping out of the Republican presidential race and endorsing one-time foe Donald Trump. And Goldberg was not hearing his explanations for why he decided to support a man who once compared him to a child molester.
“I'm sure you get this question a lot, but why did you endorse Donald Trump?” Goldberg asked.
After breaking the ice with a joke, Carson said, “I was going to remain neutral, but then I realized that, you know, the political establishment was aligning to protect their turf. They don't like the idea of people who are not beholden to them and who cannot be controlled coming into Washington, D.C. And that was one of the reasons they didn't like me very much, but I was easier to get rid of than Donald Trump.”
From the start Goldberg challenged Carson to explain how he could align himself with a candidate who has “bashed women” and “made countless racist remarks.”
Carson told the hosts that he has met some of Trump’s African-American employees and they have nothing but good things to say about their boss. He then returned to his original argument about Trump’s strength in standing up to the “political class.”
“You can say that until the cows come home,” Goldberg said, interrupting him. “But this guy, I'm sorry, he's a racist and he's not good for the country. I'm sorry, I don't understand.” Attempting to give her guest perhaps more credit than he deserves, she added, “You're Ben Carson, you're so much better than that!”
After a break, the conversation about Carson’s endorsement continued, with the hosts pressing him on the violence at Trump’s rallies, among other issues. Eventually, Carson reiterated his assertion that there are “two Donald Trumps,” one who the public sees on television and the other who he knows privately. “Which one is running for president?!” Goldberg asked to cheers from the audience.
When Carson described a man “who's actually willing to sit down and engage in deep, serious conversations about the problems that affect our country,” Joy Behar shot back, “Why is he holding out on America?”
Before long, Goldberg had once again had enough. “No, there isn't a perfect person, but if you're running for President of the United States of America, a country which has said to other countries, bring me the folks that you need, who need freedom, we're here for you,” she said. “When you talk about Mexicans being rapists and murderers, when you talk about women - if he had spoken to your wife the way he has spoken to some of these women, would you take that, sir?”
At that moment, Carson delivered what is possibly the most honest and revealing thing he has said over the course of this entire election cycle.
“Let me tell you something, when you're very nice, when you’re very respectful, you talk about the real issues and not get into all these issues, where does it get you?” Carson asked. “It gets you where it got me: nowhere.”
Source
This may not be a super interesting/relevant article, but I thought the end quote by Carson was pretty telling - being nice really got him no where and now he is supporting the man who compared him to a child molester.
“I'm sure you get this question a lot, but why did you endorse Donald Trump?” Goldberg asked.
After breaking the ice with a joke, Carson said, “I was going to remain neutral, but then I realized that, you know, the political establishment was aligning to protect their turf. They don't like the idea of people who are not beholden to them and who cannot be controlled coming into Washington, D.C. And that was one of the reasons they didn't like me very much, but I was easier to get rid of than Donald Trump.”
From the start Goldberg challenged Carson to explain how he could align himself with a candidate who has “bashed women” and “made countless racist remarks.”
Carson told the hosts that he has met some of Trump’s African-American employees and they have nothing but good things to say about their boss. He then returned to his original argument about Trump’s strength in standing up to the “political class.”
“You can say that until the cows come home,” Goldberg said, interrupting him. “But this guy, I'm sorry, he's a racist and he's not good for the country. I'm sorry, I don't understand.” Attempting to give her guest perhaps more credit than he deserves, she added, “You're Ben Carson, you're so much better than that!”
After a break, the conversation about Carson’s endorsement continued, with the hosts pressing him on the violence at Trump’s rallies, among other issues. Eventually, Carson reiterated his assertion that there are “two Donald Trumps,” one who the public sees on television and the other who he knows privately. “Which one is running for president?!” Goldberg asked to cheers from the audience.
When Carson described a man “who's actually willing to sit down and engage in deep, serious conversations about the problems that affect our country,” Joy Behar shot back, “Why is he holding out on America?”
Before long, Goldberg had once again had enough. “No, there isn't a perfect person, but if you're running for President of the United States of America, a country which has said to other countries, bring me the folks that you need, who need freedom, we're here for you,” she said. “When you talk about Mexicans being rapists and murderers, when you talk about women - if he had spoken to your wife the way he has spoken to some of these women, would you take that, sir?”
At that moment, Carson delivered what is possibly the most honest and revealing thing he has said over the course of this entire election cycle.
“Let me tell you something, when you're very nice, when you’re very respectful, you talk about the real issues and not get into all these issues, where does it get you?” Carson asked. “It gets you where it got me: nowhere.”
Source
This may not be a super interesting/relevant article, but I thought the end quote by Carson was pretty telling - being nice really got him no where and now he is supporting the man who compared him to a child molester.