Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said he would be open to having Donald Trump as a running mate in 2016.
Appearing on Your World with Neil Cavuto on Friday, the host put the question to him at the close of an interview that mostly focused on illegal immigration.
“I have had a chance to associate with [Trump] now that I have moved down to Florida,” Carson said. “He’s a very smart guy, and he is a fun guy. So, I will leave it at that.”
Cavuto would not let the former neurosurgeon off the hook that easily and followed up, asking him, “so you might?”–to which Carson’s final word was: “All things are possible. Absolutely.”
The latest Real Clear Politics average of polls has both candidates placing in the top tier of GOP contenders: Trump is less than a point ahead of Carson (9.3 to 8.5 percent).
During the course of the interview, Cavuto noted one thing both candidates have in common: Neither has held political office, and both say things that are “outside of typical political speak.”
“There is a learning curve,” Carson acknowledged. “I have learned how to tone it down a little bit, so that people can actually hear what I’m saying, and not just focus on the words, but that’s a skill people learn with the course of time,” he added.
That said, one thing Carson appreciates about Trump is his plain-spokenness, which does seem to be his appeal among potential voters.
“There’s no question that we are in the process in this country of giving away all of our values and principles for the sake of political correctness,” Carson said.
When asked about whether Trump’s media attention was pulling all the oxygen out of the room for the other candidates, he responded: “I would say that there’s a whole lot of oxygen in the room, and we need to hear everybody.” He added: “We need to discuss these things openly.”
Carson believes that one positive aspect of Trump’s controversial remarks concerning illegal immigration is that they have put more focus from the public on the issue.
The candidate noted that “sanctuary” laws are now under the public’s microscope. San Francisco’s sanctuary ordinance has been blamed for the release of illegal immigrant Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez, the alleged killer of Kathryn Steinle.
“I certainly don’t think there’s any rational reason for sanctuary cities,” Carson said.
“I’m glad there’s focus on them now, because I would like the people who advocate for them to come out and tell why we need them,” he added. “And I can tell them 100 reasons why we don’t.”
h/t: NewsMax