Carson: Trump's Primary Promises On Immigration 'Relatively Irrelevant'
Naomi Lim, CNN September 6, 2016
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Ben Carson: It is what it is, Trump is the nominee now 01:22
Story highlights
- "Well, it's relatively irrelevant at this point because it is what it is," Carson said
- Carson said Trump should apologize for his claims President Barack Obama was not born in the US
Washington (CNN)Top Donald Trump surrogate Ben Carson said Tuesday it was "relatively irrelevant" that the mogul seemed to be eschewing promises made over the primaries to strike a more moderate tone ahead of the general election.
Carson also told CNN's Jake Tapper on "The Lead" that the real estate mogul should apologize for insinuating that President Barack Obama was not born in the US and that a recent controversy over a contribution Trump made to the current Florida attorney general did not undermine his criticism of Hillary Clinton's ethics record.
Carson, commenting on Trump's apparent openness to a path for legal status for undocumented immigrants -- a proposal voiced by many of Trump's primary foes -- told Tapper that Trump needed to present "rational and workable plans" to the general electorate.
"Well, it's relatively irrelevant at this point because it is what it is," Carson told Tapper. "He is the nominee and has to come up with rational and workable plans, has to work with various advisers and experts in terms of the best way to do this and it needs to be done in a fair and compassionate way that is consistent with the way we in America do things."
Trump refuses to rule out legal status for undocumented immigrants
When Tapper pushed back on Carson's argument that promises made to voters were irrelevant, Carson said campaign policies were often refined once a candidate took office.
"Well, I didn't say that they were irrelevant but bear in mind, what you talk about during a campaign and what actually happens, as you know, in all administrations are different," Carson responded. "You get different information, you learn things along the way, and you make adjustments along the way."
Giuliani: Trump no longer wants mass deportations
Carson added: "Perhaps there were others who had already learned those things. It doesn't matter. The important thing is that it does get learned and it does get integrated into the process of decision-making."
Carson denied that Trump's shift to policies similar to his Republican opponents undermined the sincerity of his campaign promises.
"Well, very much like the promises that have been made to people in our inner cities for decades and yet their condition is not getting any better," Carson said. "Those matter too."
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http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/06/politi...906carsontrump
Video of the Dr. Ben Carson Interview is on Facebook page, too
https://www.facebook.com/theleadcnn