Since being tapped by President Trump to run the Housing Department despite his background in medicine, former surgeon and Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson has flown under the radar more than his colleagues in the Cabinet. He’s somehow managed to do so despite his sporadic public appearances being nearly universally accompanied by mind-meltingly unaware soundbites. Whether it involves calling poverty “a state of mind,” discouraging homeless shelters from being “too comfortable,” or referring to slaves as “immigrants” in search of a better life, each Carson quote boggles the mind in a unique way. On Wednesday, Carson suggested that rich people and poor people are “in the same boat.”
Speaking at an event about Puerto Rico’s hurricane recovery and how his agency was helping the newly homeless American citizens who live there, it wasn’t exactly clear what Carson was referring to when he said, “Rich people, poor people, people in the middle — we’re all in the same boat.” However, when asked specifically about recovery in the U.S. territory, Carson offered a possible timeline: between “one and 100 years.”
When asked about his qualifications to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Carson replied, “People are so stupid.”
Yes, he really said that.