President Obama was “raised white” and thus may not identify with “the experience of black Americans,” according to Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson.
When asked by Politico’s Glenn Thrush if the inauguration of the country’s first black president was “significant” for him, Carson took aim at Obama’s upbringing.
“He’s an ‘African’ American. He was, you know, raised white,” the retired neurosurgeon said in the interview published Tuesday. “Many of his formative years were spent in Indonesia. So, for him to, you know, claim that, you know, he identifies with the experience of black Americans, I think is a bit of a stretch.”
Obama’s inauguration was thus not a big deal for him, said Carson, who has avoided the issue of race and that he is the only black presidential hopeful for either party.
Carson also implied that the way “the left” treated him was racist.
“Because they assume because you’re black, you have to think a certain way. And if you don’t think that way, you’re ‘Uncle Tom,’ you’re worthy of every horrible epithet they can come up with; whereas, if I weren’t black, then I would just be a Republican,” Carson concluded.
