CNN "Erin Burnett OutFront"- Transcript: Interview with Ben and Candy Carson

Interview

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All right. Sara Murray, thank you very much. As we said, live in Las Vegas, where all of the Republicans, and many of them, I can't say all -- because obviously that would mean a lot of people, but a lot of them are campaigning. One republican who stayed off the campaign stage today was Ben Carson. He of course is central to the whole race, skyrocketing to number two in nearly every poll. The republican candidate, the poll show as the best chance to beat the democrat in the key swing states. And he's out with the new book, he wrote to his wife Candy. I sat down with both of them today for a rare joint interview and asked him about the impact of the campaign on their 40-year marriage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[19:05:18] BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not made it harder, and, you know, it's provided an opportunity, you know, for me to see what an incredible wife I have.

(LAUGHTER)

CANDY CARSON, WIFE OF BEN CARSON: Yes, I mean, 40 years I gave him up to medicine. And I thought when he retired we'd have some time together. So it's similar.

BURNETT: So not yet, no time yet.

C. CARSON: No.

(LAUGHTER)

BURNETT: OK. Rupert Murdoch met both of you --

C. CARSON: Well, he met him. I wanted to be there but I was finishing up my own edits, so --

BURNETT: So he didn't meet you actually?

(CROSSTALK)

C. CARSON: I don't think so. I think I would've remembered that one.

BURNETT: OK, so it's interesting, in this now, and from his tweet today, he mentioned you as well, Mrs. Carson. He says, quote, "Ben and Candy Carson, terrific. What about a real black president who can properly address the racial divide?" Question mark. "And much else."

What he's saying, obviously, is you're more black than President Obama. Let me just ask you the question very simply. Do you agree? Are you more black than President Obama?

B. CARSON: I don't really think it's an issue. What I think he was trying to say is that the black community was extremely excited about his election, and that their -- their plight has not improved significantly under his administration.

BURNETT: So would you do something specifically and more for the black community?

B. CARSON: I would.

BURNETT: What?

B. CARSON: I would do something specifically to create ladders of opportunity that allow people to climb out of poverty, out of dependency, and that's going to require an overall plan. It's going to for instance require encouraging private sector to create daycare centers, particularly in inner cities, because a lot of those young women, once they have that baby out of wedlock, their education ends. And that baby is four times likely to go into poverty.

You know, the war on poverty was declared in the 1960s. Since that time, government has spent $19 trillion. And what do we have? Ten times more people on food stamps, more poverty, more broken families, out of wedlock birth, incarceration, crime. You know, nothing's really better. So I -- but what I've witnessed as I've traveled around the country are private sector programs, those really work.

BURNETT: Now Mrs. Carson, as First Lady --

C. CARSON: Candy.

BURNETT: -- would you feel a responsibility in your role towards the issue of race? Towards Black America specifically?

C. CARSON: Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not focused on that position. Right now it's very important to wake our people up. It's sad that so many of our country just unaware of so many crises situations that are going on. The debt that we have is $18.5 trillion or more. To pay that off at a rate of $10 million a day would take you 5,000 years. People can say that, but do you have a comprehension, a full comprehension of what that means? And we're saddling the future generations with us. Thomas Jefferson said it's morally wrong to steal from future generations. That's what we're doing.

What got me on board with this, because it's really not something that I wanted to do, it's not something that he had in his -- on his bucket list, but when you look at grandchildren, or in -- when I see any children, because I don't see my grandchildren because we're on the road so much, but -- and it's hard, because I really want to see them. One's three and a half, one's going to turn two next month, I haven't seen them for six months. It's killing me. But whenever I see these children, I just think I can't do this them.

BURNETT: So how do you -- you make the perfect (ph) impression, you're sitting here, you are your usual self. That means very, very calm, even-keeled. Dare I say monotone sometimes, right? That's a positive, can be a negative. You, though, are sparking with energy. Is that the way it always is? C. CARSON: I've always been called more of a drama person.

(LAUGHTER)

C. CARSON: Even though I never take lessons. It's natural. You know, I get excited. I mean, I'm a musician as well, and you know, it's all about drawing emotions from the music or whatever you're using when I used to do artwork. It was the same thing. So yes, I guess, I'm just more emotive.

BURNETT: More emotive. You let her shine?

B. CARSON: Yes, and --

C. CARSON: I let him shine too!

(CROSSTALK)

C. CARSON: In makeup, what, do you need more than me?

BURNETT: Hey, you did take longer to get here.

(LAUGHTER)

B. CARSON: When you think about it, you know, neurosurgeons, if you know any, they tend to be very calm, low-key people, and that's because when you're in the middle of somebody's head and a vessel breaks loose, if you panic, the patient's dead. You've got to be very steady, you've got to inspire confidence in the people around you, you've got to know exactly what you're doing.

[19:10:06] BURNETT: So let me ask you. In your book, Dr. Carson, you write about how you had anger issues as a teen. And you've talked about this, hitting people with bats, hammers. In one instance, you talk about lunging at someone with a knife. This is you we're talking about. You're now known, you know, as so soft-spoken, so calm. You've conquered your demons. But is there anything that fires you up? I mean, that young man who could do those things, that -- that person's still in there, right?

B. CARSON: Well, I -- I may be fired up, I may just not look like I'm fired up.

(LAUGHTER)

B. CARSON: You know, I'm a person who, you know, has a lot of fire, quite frankly, and you'll see that as time goes on. You know, particularly in defending positions and taking on challenges. And, you know, when I think about what's going in the world right now, with the global jihadists, when I look at what Putin's doing, I have a lot of fire when it comes to what we should do about those things. I just don't yell and scream about it.

BURNETT: And --

C. CARSON: I don't yell and scream. I just have a little more lilt in my voice.

BURNETT: The conservative magazine "The National Review" wrote an article called, "Meeting Candy Carson: The Anti-Michelle Obama." It says about you, and I'll quote her, "She's smart, she's talented, she loves America," which is a thinly-veiled reference to Michelle Obama's now-famous quote about when she said it was the first time she was proud to be an American.

Do you think Michelle Obama does not love America? Do you find it offensive that people compare the two of you because of your race?

C. CARSON: To tell you the truth, I don't keep up with the news like some people do. This guy is 24/7. When he leaves the house to go do an interview, I turn everything off because it's nice to have blessed peace. I'm not as politically inclined as he is, because you know, I was raising children and so on and so forth, and it just wasn't my forte. He is very interested, and now I've come on board. A lot of that stuff I just don't even see, because I'm busy doing other things.

BURNETT: So Dr. Carson, "The Washington Post," Damon Tweedy -- I don't if that name's familiar to you. He teaches at Duke School of Medicine. And he wrote about you, how you inspired him. He said your influence on black students like himself, back when he was a student, was profound. That was the word he used. And now he wrote that, "in a bizarre twist," those are his words, your biggest fans are no longer in the black community.

Here's how he said it, "Carson has become a major star among on the far right, the faction of the party often perceived as being indifferent or worse to African-Americans. Many black doctors, given our long-standing adulation of Carson, are puzzled and discouraged by this evolution. The place where the man who once his built his brand as a black icon has found a new home, and it's a place where many of us feel unwelcome."

Does it upset you that people you know, who look at you as a black icon, in his words, are disappointed?

B. CARSON: Well, I expect that from them, because they simply don't understand the other side of the world. The fact of the matter is I understand both sides of the world.

BURNETT: So do you find it -- do you welcome the fact that people see you as a possible black president and going to take on issues that matter to the African-American community? Or do you find -- or do you resent that, that there's still that split, that people would see you as black first?

B. CARSON: Well, you know, I hope that we can eventually reach a point where we don't judge a person by the color of their skin. And, you know, I've said it before, there are certain segments of our society and, you know, particularly progressive movement, that always categorizes people on the basis of their skin color. I don't find that to be as much the case, you know, with conservatives. But I admit that there's problems on both sides. BURNETT: All right, well, I appreciate both of you taking the

time. And thank you very much for being with me.

B. CARSON: My pleasure.

C. CARSON: Thank you for having us.

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