Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson lost against Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican primaries and has since become a vocal advocate for the former president who, after being elected president, gave Carson the position of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2017.
While HUD Secretary during the Trump administration, Carson was often criticized for lacking government and political experience, and for making comments including a reference to poverty as being “a state of mind.” (HUD handles housing for millions of low-income Americans.)
Campaigning again for Trump this week, the conservative Seventh Day Adventist Christian said on Newsmax: “The Declaration of Independence clearly states that our rights come from our Creator. You don’t have to be very smart to figure out which candidate stands for LIFE, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness.”
The Declaration of Independence clearly states that our rights come from our Creator. You don’t have to be very smart to figure out which candidate stands for LIFE, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness.
This election isn’t about Democrats and Republicans. It’s about people who… pic.twitter.com/zuIIL2VHj2
— Ben & Candy Carson (@RealBenCarson) September 12, 2024
Anti-MAGA voices opposing Carson’s claim are challenging the former HUD Secretary with comments doubting his religious claims and whether Trump is an advocate for peace. Those comments include: “The US Constitution is a secular document, designed for a secular country.”
Note: While the Declaration of Independence does refer to God and “the Creator,” the Constitution — which was written five years after the Declaration of Independence to outline how government would function — does not.
ICYMI
The US Constitution is a secular document, designed for a secular country.
The Founders knew. pic.twitter.com/7785JmXdmk
— The Right is Wrong AF (@therightswrong) September 12, 2024
Others are responding with images of the violent January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to refute Carson’s claim that Trump is an advocate for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. One wrote: “Carson supports the traitor who invited this mob to DC on J6, told them ‘it will be wild’ and then did nothing for 3+ hours as police officers were beaten.”