Carson: Trump's primary promises on immigration are 'irrelevant'

Former Republican presidential candidate and Donald Trump adviser Ben Carson said the GOP nominee’s primary promises to deport every undocumented immigrant are “relatively irrelevant” given his recent softening on the issue.

Trump built much of his primary success upon a hardline immigration stance, pledging to create a deportation force that would remove undocumented immigrants. He has since amended that promise, vowing to focus on deporting those undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes since coming to the U.S.


In an interview on CNN, Carson explained Trump’s updated immigration proposals with a medical metaphor, comparing the flow of immigrants to a cut on a leg: “You can spend all your time trying to sop up the blood or you could put a tourniquet on upstream.” Only after the border is secured and undocumented immigrants with criminal histories are deported, Carson said, will decisions be made on those who remain. For those with no desire to be an American citizen, Carson floated the idea of a guest worker program.

Host Jake Tapper pointed out that Trump’s new stance on illegal immigration puts him more closely in line with GOP primary opponents like Sen. Marco Rubio, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and even Carson himself.

“Well it’s relatively irrelevant at this point because it is what it is,” Carson said when asked about Trump’s softening on immigration. “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.”

Tapper replied that “with all due respect, sir, I don’t think promises made to voters are irrelevant,” prompting Carson to rethink his previous statement.

“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 said. “You get different information. You learn things along the way and you make adjustments along the way. Perhaps there were others who had already learned those things. It doesn't matter.”

As the interview wrapped up, Tapper asked Carson about Trump’s recent outreach to minority communities, citing a poll showing nonwhite voters overwhelmingly favoring Hillary Clinton on the question of which candidate would do more to improve their lives.

The CNN host said that in many of his own conversations with black voters, Trump’s history as the most vocal head of the so-called “birther” movement that falsely suggested that President Barack Obama had been born in Africa. Asked if he thought Trump should apologize for his involvement in the movement, Carson said: “I think that would be a good idea, absolutely.”