On MLK Day, Ben Carson condemns Trump's 'inflammatory' rhetoric

Southwestern: Ben Carson Ben Carson is a politician, public servant, author, and retired neurosurgeon. After unsuccessfully running for president of the United States, he later joined the administration of his one-time rival Donald Trump, serving as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Carson attended Southwestern High School, which ceased operations in 2012. Credit: Shutterstock

Following President Donald Trump’s now-infamous “shithole” comments, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson admitted to an audience gathered for Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church that Trump’s rhetoric can be a bit too much, even for him.

“I’m a member of this administration, and I don’t agree with the president about everything that he says, or of how it’s said,” Carson said. “If the way you say things is so inflammatory that people can’t hear your message, it’s not helpful, and that’s why I don’t do that anymore. I pray that God takes that spirit away from me and gives me the spirit of love.”

Mitt Romney also took a broadside at Trump on MLK Day, tweeting that the “shithole” comments were “inconsistent [with] America’s history and antithetical to American values.”

You can watch Carson’s remarks below:

Sec. Carson at #MLKDay memorial service: "You know, I'm a member of this administration, and I don’t agree with the president about everything that he says… or of how it's said." pic.twitter.com/bORtzXclES
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 15, 2018