After acknowledging on Sunday that there are “probably” better people to be president than Donald Trump, Ben Carson on Monday morning reiterated that he thinks the real estate mogul is the best presidential candidate in the field.
“I believe that he is the best candidate to solve the problems that are facing our nation right now. We have these incredible fiscal issues which threaten the financial viability of our nation, and then we have threats from ISIS and terrorist groups, and I think we need somebody who understands those and who is not going to react to them in a politically correct way,” Carson said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” when asked if his support for Trump is “tepid.”
MSNBC’s Willie Geist then asked Carson, “If this convention opens up the way many people think it may and there are other options on the table, would you be willing to reconsider your support for Donald Trump?”
In response, Carson suggested that he would be willing to support another candidate at a contested convention if Trump is not able to secure the nomination.
“Well, you know, I tend to be a plainspoken, honest person, which is great for you guys in the media,” Carson said. “But basically what I’m saying is that of the people who are running, I believe he is the best one to be able to resolve the issues. “
“Now if we end up with a contested convention and things work out in a different way and it seems fair, then of course you’re going to support whoever the nominee is. But again things must be open, they must be fair and they must be apparent,” he continued.
But Carson did not seem willing to support someone like House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) winning the nomination at the convention.
“I would not be enthusiastic about whoever it was if it wasn’t one of the people who spent all this time, all this effort, all of this resource in order to get there, and then we toss them out,” Carson said. “Because basically what that’s saying is the people don’t mean anything.”
He added the nominee is not Trump or Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), “we have major problems brewing.”
Co-host Mika Brzezinski then asked, “Wouldn’t that be the time to stick with your candidate and hold things together?”
“I don’t think I have said anything that indicates I am not sticking with him,” Carson responded.
“I thought you actually did say that, sir,” Brzezinski replied.
“No, I think that may be your interpretation, but what I said is if things didn’t work out and it was done in a fair and an apparent way — those are the key words, fair and apparent. For people to simply say, ‘Oh, we don’t like you, and we’re going to go with somebody else.’ I don’t think that’s fair. Not after someone else has gone through all that effort.”
Watch the interview via MSNBC:
