Ben Carson calls poverty ‘a state of mind’ during interview

May 24, 2017                  By: Jose A. DelReal

In an interview released Wednesday, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said that a "certain mindset" contributes to people living in poverty, pointing to habits and a "state of mind" that children take from their parents at a young age.

"I think poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind. You take somebody that has the right mindset, you can take everything from them and put them on the street, and I guarantee in a little while they'll be right back up there," he said during an interview on SiriusXM Radio with Armstrong Williams, a longtime friend.

Tracy Grant, the Eureka Garden tenant's association president, shows Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) her apartment during Carson's visit to Jacksonville. (Bob Self/The Florida Times-Union via Associated Press)

The retired neurosurgeon, who ran for president during the 2016 GOP primary, regularly speaks about his experience growing up in poverty and his road to the top of the medical field. Before entering the political fray, Carson was best known as a motivational speaker. His story was turned into a Lifetime movie and made him a role model for young people of color. But his conservative politics and denunciations of government assistance eroded that image as he became more popular among right-wing voters.................Read More