GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson Benjamin (Ben) Solomon CarsonState AGs condemn HUD rule allowing shelters to serve people on basis of biological sex Biden cannot keep letting Trump set the agenda The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump heads to New Hampshire after renomination speech MORE says that seeking the White House in 2016 is not for the faint of heart.

“Obviously, going through a process like this is pretty brutal,” he said in an interview published Monday by The Washington Post.

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“Well, it’s not pleasant,” Carson continued. "It’s just what’s sensational, what’s the shiny object. It’s all, ‘Who’s in the football game? Who’s on ‘Dancing with the Stars?' Who’s yelling the loudest?' "

Carson is struggling to regain momentum after briefly leading some national polls earlier this year. The political neophyte's poll numbers began dropping amid concerns that he lacks sufficient knowledge of national security issues.

“I’m not sure that’s what we need right now because we’ve got some real big problems in our country. The country is worth saving, [and] you’ve got to fight.”

Carson argued in Monday’s interview that he is fit for the role of commander in chief despite not having held elected office.

“I think it’s a narrative that’s been put out there,” he said of perceptions that he is too mild-mannered for the presidency.

“You know, if you think back to Abraham Lincoln, he was not a loud, bombastic person by any measure,” Carson continued. "[He was] ungainly, lanky, uncouth, but very courageous and very strong.

“What I’ve been emphasizing on the road lately is that strength is not defined by the decibels of which you say something or by the gesticulations associated with it, but by the accomplishments of one’s life. What have you faced, and how have you faced those things?”

Carson ranks fourth out of 13 Republican White House hopefuls, with 9.3 percent, in the latest RealClearPolitics average. Donald Trump leads the field by nearly 19 points.