Ben Carson arrived onstage at the Republican National Convention as the last high-profile speaker of Tuesday evening. This was a relatively low-key night compared to the recent Melania Trump-related speech shenanigans. Her husband, Donald, was officially named as the Republican nominee on this second convention day, and a host of speakers congratulated him.
Many of these podium takers also slammed presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. None went quite as far as former neurologist and ex-Trump rival Carson, who freely peppered “Saul Alinsky” and “Lucifer” references throughout his speech. According to Washington Post deputy national political editor Rebecca Sinderbrand, the Lucifer mentions were not present in the original script. Carson, who stood as “the quiet one” throughout most of the primary season’s Republican debates, really let loose, essentially accusing Hillary Clinton of being an agent of Satan.
While praising Donald Trump and shunning all enemies, Carson invoked one of Newt Gingrich’s favorite political references — often used while criticizing President Obama — to eviscerate Clinton. Carson brought the hammer down on her for idolizing radical leftist Saul Alinsky, who Carson insisted is “somebody who acknowledges Lucifer.”
Perhaps Carson anticipated some backlash to his words, for he also bashed political correctness as wrong and “antithetical to the founding principles of this country.” He projected that Clinton would push a “secular progressive” agenda and silence the nation while doing her bidding.
Carson, who was frantic by that point, continued to praise Trump as the candidate who would bring God back into American lives: “This is a nation where every coin in our pocket and every bill and our wallets has ‘In God We Trust.’ So, are we willing to elect someone as president who has, as their role model, somebody who acknowledges Lucifer? Think about that.”
You heard the man. Think about that.