Ben Carson doesn't think Muslim people should be president

Ben Carson
(Image credit: Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Retired neurosurgeon and Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said Sunday he wouldn't be comfortable with a Muslim president.

"I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation," he told Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press. "I absolutely would not agree with that."

Carson's comments come days after opponent Donald Trump failed to correct a supporter who asserted that President Obama is Muslim and suggested he would consider the supporter's idea to "get rid" of Muslim people. Carson, who said he does believe Obama is a U.S.-born Christian, would consider voting for a Muslim person to join Congress, even though he doesn't think Islamic faith is in line with the Constitution.

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"Congress is a different story, but it depends on who that Muslim is and what their policies are, just as it depends on what anybody else says," Carson said.

Two Muslim legislators currently serve in Congress. Watch Carson's full interview below. Julie Kliegman

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.