Ben Carson, who served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under former President Donald Trump, said his former boss “doesn’t like to be surrounded by pro-choice people” when asked about his stance on abortion laws.
CNN’s Jake Tapper pressed Carson to explain his conversations with Trump about abortion laws on “State of the Union,” noting that Carson has expressed support for national abortion laws in the past.
President Trump said last month that he believes abortion laws should be decided by states, following a reversal of Roe v. Wade.
“President Trump doesn’t like to surround himself with Jesus people. And he likes to have healthy discussions about things, and he says he’s done more than any other president in terms of saving unborn lives.” I recognize that. So I give him a lot of credit,” Carson said.
Mr. Carson also said he agreed with Mr. Trump by suggesting that abortion laws should be decided by each state.
“I think I completely agree with his idea of moving it to the states. And the reason why it should be moved to the states is because we can have a discussion between our legislators and the people. That’s where it should be. It was supposed to be there,” he said.
Carson first endorsed Trump in 2016, shortly after Trump ended his own bid for the White House. There was speculation as to whether he would be President Trump’s running mate, but he was ultimately chosen to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Carson has already announced his support for President Trump’s third presidential bid. He said Sunday that he had not discussed running mate with Trump, but said he was open to discussing Vice President Harris.
“We’re happy to discuss policies and differences. You know, we’re in a unique situation where we’re juxtaposing two different administrations with different philosophies. And people are wondering what one side is. “I would love to have a discussion with her, or with anyone, because I can see how it felt or how the other person felt,” he said.
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