Former pediatric neurosurgeon and Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson told Bill O’Reilly Wednesday he doesn’t have any cheat sheets or notes for Thursday’s debate – and he’s not too worried, because “it’s not brain surgery.”
Bill O’Reilly asked whether Carson would stand out on the crowded GOP stage, and he asked the doctor if he had any strategy to “get attention.”
“Interestingly enough, people have been saying that to me all along,” Carson said. “Yet the attention is coming my way. I think people actually notice sometimes the content of what one is saying rather than the decibel level at which he says it.”
“A lot of times when people don’t have a lot to say, they increase the volume,” Carson added.
O’Reilly argued that Carson is “mellow” and is “a thinker” and people know him through his books. The debate doesn’t leave a lot of time for candidates to leave an impression, said O’Reilly. “Do you have one thing that you think tomorrow is going to really be a stunner?”
Carson said yes, but he didn’t want to give anything away ahead of time. Fifty percent of people still don’t know who he is, Carson said, and he views that as a “tremendous advantage.” In the debate, Carson looks forward to changing the minds of people who think “he’s a great doctor, but doesn’t know anything about anything else.” He predicted, “I think we’ll blow that one out of the water.”
Carson added that all his debate notes are in his head. He will have an easier time than some candidates because he doesn’t need to stick to talking points, he said.
“I only need to talk about what’s true. I don’t have to try to remember talking points or the multiple things that people have told me,” Carson said. “I just need to talk about what’s true. And I think people will see that.”
He plans to steer clear of inflammatory language like the time where he said Obamacare was the worst thing since slavery because he has “learned that if you use inflammatory language people are not able to hear your message.”
O’Reilly said he detected some uncharacteristic nervousness in fellow candidate Donald Trump, and wondered if Carson might also be apprehensive.
“Not at all,” laughed Carson. “It’s not brain surgery.”
