The key bit, in which Carson captures the entire Republican primary in one line, comes around halfway through the first clip below. Try to imagine a skilled surrogate like, say, Carly Fiorina defending Cruz’s electoral success this year by suggesting he was smart enough to realize that being civil and sounding like you know what you’re talking about are a one-way ticket to political oblivion. And why, of all people, would Ben Carson endorse someone like that? His campaign slogan was “Heal. Inspire. Revive.” His candidacy was based on the idea of him as an inspirational figure who’d somehow, through sheer leadership, bring the country to a nobler place. Now he’s stuck shrugging off questions about Trump’s nastier bon mots about women over the years. W-w-w-what?
The second clip is just to give you a sense of how tough this morning’s interview on “The View” was for him — so much so that Trump himself couldn’t wait for the show to end before chiming in on Twitter.
Featured Image: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump walks with former presidential candidate Ben Carson before he receives his endorsement at the Mar-A-Lago Club on March 11, 2016 in Palm Beach, Florida. Presidential candidates continue to campaign before Florida's March 15th primary day. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)