Dr. Ben Carson, a possible contender for former President Donald Trump’s running mate, made the case on Sunday for why more black Americans may vote for the Republican ticket this election cycle.
During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” anchor Jake Tapper asked Carson if Trump could improve his numbers after getting 12% of the black vote — including 19% of black men — in the 2020 contest against now-President Joe Biden.
“I think, you know, black Americans are no different than any other Americans,” said Carson, himself a black man who served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development throughout the Trump administration.
“They feel the pinch of the inflation. You know, they know what it feels like when they have to go fill up their gas tank,” he said. “They see the crime that’s running rampant, that people, repeat offenders are being let out of prison and endangering them and their neighborhoods.”
Carson added, “They see what’s happening with the border and how that’s impacting their own communities, how other people’s issues are being put on the front burners and theirs are being put on the back burners. I think those are the issues that are pushing them toward Trump.”
Polling in recent months indicates that more black voters, particularly black men, are turning away from Biden and said they plan to support Trump in the 2024 election across several battleground states.
Bernice King, the youngest daughter of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., recently said on Bloomberg Television that the Biden administration needs to develop a strategy to better address the concerns of black voters, especially black men.
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“I think there are people in the black community who are feeling like not a lot has changed, especially economically, in the black community, and I think many of them are being driven by that,” she said.
Carson told Tapper he has not spoken to Trump about the VP position but stated he would be “willing to discuss policies, the differences” when asked if he would be up for a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris — the first black person to serve in the role.
“We have a unique situation, where you have juxtaposed two different administrations with different philosophies,” he said. “And people can see, how did one feel versus how did the other feel? And I would love to debate with her or with anyone about that.”