Ben Carson Benjamin (Ben) Solomon CarsonBiden cannot keep letting Trump set the agenda The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump heads to New Hampshire after renomination speech Five takeaways on GOP's norm-breaking convention MORE fired back at critics who were skeptical of his qualifications to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), calling them "stupid."

“People are so stupid,” the former neurosurgeon and presidential candidate said at The Hill’s Newsmaker Series event on Wednesday morning. Carson was confirmed as HUD secretary in March by a vote of 58-41.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I liken it to the CEO of a large medical center," he continued. "Now, I guarantee the CEO of Massachusetts General, or Johns Hopkins, or the Mayo Clinic or Children’s National, they probably don’t know about infectious disease, or neurosurgery, or anesthesia or pathology."

“But they have a lot of people who do know a lot about those things,” he said. “And by coordinating and creating a vision and creating an atmosphere where the synergies work, they create a very successful organization."

The focus of the event was on the future of housing, particularly housing needs in recently hurricane-ravaged areas in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Carson said rebuilding Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria could take up to 100 years.

The Senate on Tuesday passed a disaster relief bill that would provide $36.5 billion in funding for hurricane relief, a flood insurance program and wildfire recovery efforts in the West.