Donald Trump repeatedly referred to retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson as “Obama.” | Getty Trump confuses Barack Obama for Ben Carson

Donald Trump can’t keep his Midwesterners straight.

At a campaign stop in South Carolina on Tuesday, Trump repeatedly referred to retired neuosurgeon Ben Carson as “Obama.”


“What Ted Cruz did to Obama, where he said that Obama had quit the race and take our votes,” Trump began to say before being corrected by his audience.

In fact, he was referring to an incident in which members of Cruz’s campaign spread reports suggesting that Carson was dropping out of the race on the day of the Iowa caucuses. People in the crowd started yelling that it was Carson.

“Right? Is that right?” asked Trump shrugging, before realizing his mistake.

“I’m sorry. Carson. Carson. He said that – Obama. Obama should’ve quit the race,” Trump said, catching himself.

Trump’s dig at President Obama prompted laughter and applause from the crowd. “Wouldn’t that have been nice,” Trump said.

Obama hails from Chicago and his mother was from Kansas. Carson was born in Detroit. Both men are African-American.