Ben Carson defends Donald Trump's immigration flip-flops: 'It is what it is'

On CNN Tuesday evening, Jake Tapper asked Donald Trump supporter and former rival Dr. Ben Carson about Trump's shifting positions on immigration, sometimes including hints that he won't in fact be as hardline as he has long promised to be. "As you know better than most," Tapper said, "one of the ways that Donald Trump won was by saying he was going to be tougher than all you guys, that he was going to remove all 11 million undocumented immigrants from this country with a deportation force. Now that seems to be completely evaporating into the ether."

"Well, you know, it's relatively irrelevant at this point because it is what it is," Carson said. "He is the nominee and has to come up with rational and workable plans, has to work with various advisers and experts in terms of the best way to do this, and it needs to be done in a fair and compassionate way that is consistent with the way we in America do things."

Tapper broke in: "With all due respect, sir, I don't think promises made to voters are irrelevant." "Well, I didn't say that they were irrelevant," Carson said. "But bear in mind, what you talk about during a campaign and what actually happens, as you know, in all administrations, are different." Got it? Watch below. Peter Weber

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up