President Barack Obama wanted Dr. Ben Carson to apologize last year following a speech he gave at the National Prayer Breakfast, the retired pediatric neurosurgeon and potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate said Tuesday.
Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and first lady Michelle Obama were in attendance at the February 2013 event where Carson gave a
rousing speech espousing several conservative values. Topics he covered included healthcare solutions and the dangers of political correctness.
During the address, Carson said, "PC is dangerous because, you see, this country, one of the founding principles was freedom of thought and freedom of expression. And it muffles people. It puts a muzzle on them. And, at the same time, keeps people from discussing important issues, while the fabric of this society is being changed."
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"I got a call from one of the organizers that said the White House is very upset, and you need to call the president, and you need to apologize," Carson told "Fox & Friends."
Carson said he explained that he had spoken to the president after the breakfast and said he didn't appear to have been offended.
"He didn't seem upset. And, there is no reason that he should be, unless what I said applied to him," Carson said.
Though he did not apologize, Carson said he has since been invited to a Presidential Medal of Freedom reunion, but did not attend.
Carson had not provided the contents of his speech to event organizers prior to the breakfast, though they were requested. The reason was he didn't know what he was going to say "until the morning of the prayer breakfast."
Carson recently wrote a book,
"One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America's Future," where he tackles the topic of political correctness and offers solutions to issues including healthcare, tax policies, and education.
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