Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said during Politico’s “Off Message” podcast that he believes that current President Barack Obama was raised white.
The interview with Carson was released Tuesday morning. Carson spoke about his experience as an African-American running in the GOP field. He added that even though he is opposed to Obama politically, he was happy to see Obama break through the color barrier.
“Like most Americans, I was proud we broke the color barrier when he was elected. But I also recognized that his experiences and my experiences are my experiences are night and day.
“He didn’t grow up like I grew up,” Carson continued. He is an ‘African’ American opposed to an African-American. He was raised white, many of his formative years were in Indonesia, so for him to claim that he identifies with the experience of black Americans is a bit of a stretch.”
A white mother, Ann Dunham, raised Obama. Obama’s father, Barack Obama Sr., was a Kenyan native and returned to Kenya when Obama was young.
As a young child, Obama spent three years in Indonesia before returning to his home state of Hawaii. Carson was also raised by a single mother.
Carson also accused Democrats of being racist toward him.
“I think the way that I am treated by the left is racist,” Carson said. “Because they assume because you’re black, you have to think a certain way. And if you don’t think that, you’re an uncle Tom.”
Carson has been polling behind the other remaining four candidates, well behind GOP frontrunner Donald Trump.
Justin Boggs is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk.Follow him on Twitter @jjboggs or on Facebook.