In a new interview about why he endorsed Donald Trump, former republican presidential candidate Ben Carson made a curious statement — that Trump doesn’t really believe all of the things he says.
In an interview with The Hill, Carson recalled the process by which he came around to supporting the controversial front-runner, who was once his rival for the GOP nomination.
“I needed to know that he could listen to other people, that he could change his opinions, and that some of the more outlandish things that he’s said, that he didn’t really believe those things,” Carson said.
For pro-life voters, that has been a central question when it comes to Donald Trump. Can pro-life voters really believe Trump means the things he says when he says he is pro-life, opposes abortion and would sign a bill to defund Planned Parenthood — at the same time he repeatedly praises the nation’s biggest abortion business.
SIGN THE PLEDGE: I Pledge to Vote for a Pro-Life Candidate for President
But Carson won’t elaborate on the kinds of things Trump says but doesn’t really believe.
When asked which statements Trump might back away from, Carson demurred.
“I’ll let him talk about that because I don’t think it’s fair for me to relay a private conversation,” he said.
Trump’s has taken pro-life positions on abortion but has concerned pro-life voters with his praise for Planned Parenthood. Earlier this month, Trump praised the nation’s biggest abortion conglomerate. Trump dismissed the notion he is not a true conservative because he supports Planned Parenthood, insisting he is “just doing what’s right.”
“Look, Planned Parenthood has done very good work for many, many — for millions of women,” Trump said in a news conference Tuesday night. “And I’ll say it, and I know a lot of the so-called conservatives, they say that’s really … cause I’m a conservative, but I’m a common-sense conservative.”
Trump said he would not fund Planned Parenthood “as long as you have the abortion going on,” but noted the “millions of people — and I’ve had thousands of letters from women — that have been helped.”
“And this wasn’t a set-up. This was women writing letters. But I’m going to be really good for women, I’m going to be good for women’s health issues, it’s very important to me. Very important to me,” he said.
In recent months, Trump has shifted from taking a consistently pro-life stance on abortion and opposing Planned Parenthood funding to opposing funding but praising the nation’s biggest abortion company.
Like some pro-life voters, Susan B, Anthony List president Marjorie Danenfelser has had enough. She’s tired of listening to Donald Trump, who had ostensibly run a reliably pro-life campaign up until recently, praise the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
“Mr. Trump has repeatedly said that, as President, he will defund Planned Parenthood so long as they continue to do abortions. We applaud him for this stand, but ask that he reconsider his repeated assertion that the group does ‘wonderful things’ beyond abortion. According to the group’s own annual reports, this could not be further from the truth. Planned Parenthood is a profit–driven, abortion-centered business – and a bad investment for taxpayers,” she said.
Dannenfelser continued: “A new Center for Medical Progress video released this week showed once again that Planned Parenthood’s highest executives are willing to engage in the harvest and sale of the body parts of aborted children. We ask Mr. Trump to watch this video series and urgently take off the rose-colored glasses he wears when talking about Planned Parenthood. Mr. Trump’s silence on this horror at the core of Planned Parenthood needs to end.”
