During on an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, Republican primary candidate Ben Carson said that he would not support a Muslim as President of the United States. “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” Carson said during the interview, “I absolutely would not agree with that.” He added that the religion is incompatible with the Constitution.
Carson, who is either—depending on the poll—in second or third, argued that faith should be an important element of the White House. “If it’s inconsistent with the values and principles of America, then of course it should matter,” he said.
But no worries, Carson is cool with Muslims serving in Congress: “Congress is a different story, but it depends on who that Muslim is and what they’re policies are, just as it depends on what anybody else says, you know.”
The question about faith was in response to another controversy surrounding Donald Trump. During a campaign stop in New Hampshire, a supporter asked Trump about President Obama’s faith. Unsurprisingly, the Trump supporter believes that the President in a Muslim. Trump, a very vocal birther, did not correct the supporter.
So here we are, a term and a half into Obama’s presidency, and a large percentage of Republican voters still think the President is a foreign infiltrator. In other news important primary news:
Image via AP
DISCUSSION
So...why does it matter what the president’s religion is? Don't they have to follow the constitution no matter what? What difference does it make what their religious beliefs are?