Ben Carson’s Latest CNN Interview Was A Catastrophe

Ben Carson Friday morning spoke with CNN, and left many people watching stunned.

Ben Carson, the on-again-off-again frontrunner-slash-second-ranked Republican presidential candidate was probably saying, “Thank God it’s Friday,” until he talked with CNN. 

The former pediatric neurosurgeon who for decades has lived a charmed life of celebrated surgeon, author, paid public speaker, and increasingly over the past year or two, voice of the anti-Obamacare Tea Party Republicans.

But this week the media really dug into the candidate’s past, and the revelations have concerned many. More concerning for some are Carson’s responses to questions from journalists, for whom Carson, like most Republican candidates, expresses a thinly-veiled contempt and condescension.

Carson, America learned this week, thinks the great Pyramids of Egypt were built by Joseph of the Old Testament to store not dead pharaohs, but grain. Many, however, were relieved he shot down popular ancient alien myths tied to their construction. Yesterday, we learned Carson thinks transgender people should have separate restrooms built for them to save non-transgender people from feeling “uncomfortable.” Recently, we’ve learned that Dr. Carson thinks gun control led to the deaths of the Jews in Hitler’s Nazi Germany, he thinks being a paid shill for a questionable nutritional supplement maker means he had no involvement with them, and he thinks the Dept. of Education should become the extreme liberal bias police on college campuses. 

Carson also thinks there should be absolutely no abortions, except, maybe, if and only if you can convince him in cases to save the life or health of the mother. “If people can come up with a reasonable explanation of why they would like to kill a baby, I’ll listen,” he says.

There’s of course his thoughts equating LGBT people with pedophiles, but that’s old hat.

Then there’s today.

In an interview with CNN’s Alisyn Camerota, Carson just went off the deep end, leaving many on social media asking, frankly, if he is “insane.” One news outlet characterized his behavior as “combative and angry.”

Take a look at these clips CNN posted to Twitter and decide for yourself if his responses make sense.

UPDATE: Ben Carson: I Lied About Getting Into West Point

After attacking the entire journalism industry for asking him questions, Carson demands that Camerota promise him she will ask Hillary Clinton the same questions she has asked him. He then demanded that she ask questions about Benghazi, suggesting the media hasn’t looked into that.

In another clip, Carson – apparently unaware that news this morning included the fact that unemployment has now dropped to 5%, half of where it was when Obama took office – says America is “on the precipice of disaster,” and wonders why none of the candidates are talking about the economy and “our financial foundation.” Perhaps he’s never heard there are Democrats running for the White House?

Carson also says the media has vetted him far more than Barack Obama.

Seriously.

There’s plenty more, but perhaps most telling is the response Carson has received on Twitter over the past 24 hours: