Ben Carson: Would Be #NeverTrump But For ‘Pragmatism’
Dr. Ben Carson, the former Republican presidential candidate who subsequently endorsed Donald Trump, confessed in a radio interview that “if it was just me,” he would have been a supporter of the #NeverTrump movement.
His comments were made on the radio program, Kelley and Kafer, a program hosted by KNUS, AM 710 out of Denver, Colorado; the audio of which is available on The Hill.
Co-host, Krista Kafer, a vocal supporter of the #NeverTrump movement, voiced her concerns about Trump, and why she cannot vote for him.
“If it was just me, I would be completely where Krista is,” said Carson, referring to #NeverTrump, a group of Republicans which says they will never vote for the controversial real estate tycoon.
But when asked earlier in the show why he endorsed Trump, a move which stunned many conservatives and Republicans, he said, “It was pragmatism, recognizing that John Kasich cannot win without a brokered convention — which would guarantee a Democrat win — and recognizing that Ted Cruz can bring conservatives but will have a very difficult time bringing moderates and Democrats.”
Carson: "If it was just me" I'd be on Team #NeverTrump too https://t.co/PfduTQrewt pic.twitter.com/4a7KG2jw09
— The Hill (@thehill) April 11, 2016
“I think that will be pretty much a guaranteed loss also. So in terms of who can potentially win, I think that would be Donald Trump. When I look at the consequences of not winning, it’s too horrible to even think about.”
Carson also cited the world his “children and grandchildren” have to live in, and added that Trump “cannot be as bad as Hillary Clinton,” the Democratic candidate who currently leads Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in that party’s delegate count.
When Kafer said Trump was a “bad man,” Carson responded, “Who isn’t? Who among us isn’t?”
Ben Carson says if he didn't have children, he'd be #NeverTrump!!! https://t.co/6ax73uXgNl
— VandyOK (@VandyOK) April 12, 2016
Not The First Time Carson Has Undercut His Own Endorsement of Trump
Carson’s comments on Kelley and Kafer were just the latest of several comments he has made that seem to undercut his endorsement of Trump. On March 14, on The Steve Malzberg Show carried by NewsmaxTV, Carson stated that if Trump were a bad president, that would be okay “because we’re only looking at four years.”
Good God, what did Trump threaten to do to Ben Carson’s grandkids?!?! https://t.co/zSq9NzgFXk
— David Frum (@davidfrum) April 11, 2016
On April 9, The Inquisitr reported that Carson acknowledged Trump has a problem with posting so many controversial problems on Twitter.
Ben Carson entered the 2016 race for president amid much fanfare. A retired Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon, his story of rising up from the inner city and eventually going to medical school was chronicled in his memoir, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story.
Why Ben Carson Endorsed Donald Trump
Carson also said that he would consider how the person’s treatment of others in contemplating his endorsement.
“You need to look at how they treat others and treat their family, because that’s how they’re going to treat the American people.”
But on March 11, Carson announced that he was endorsing Trump, who is twice divorced. As reported by CNN, Carson said that there were “two Donald Trumps”— the boisterous one whom the public sees, but also the other one who is more reserved and “cerebral,” and who “sits there and considers things very carefully.”
“Having (Carson’s) support, really, it just adds total credence to what I’m trying to do and to what we’re all trying to do,” Trump said when introducing Carson.
[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]
