Fox’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck Says Ben Carson Being Islamophobic Makes Him A “Real Person”

Whenever a Republican says something that is terribly offensive or just plain ol’ stupid, they can always rely on the brain-dead triumvirate of Fox & Friends to have their back. On Sunday, neurosurgeon and Republican Presidential candidate Ben Carson got himself into hot water in an interview with Meet the Press’s Chuck Todd. While discussing faith, Todd asked Carson if he could see a Muslim ever being President of the United States. (Todd asked Donald Trump the same question earlier in the program.) The good doctor responded by saying he would not be OK with an Islamic POTUS and cited the Constitution to make his case.

The backlash over his comments was immediate and harsh. Both Republicans and Democrats called on Carson to either apologize for his blatant Islamophobia or to clarify his remarks. Rather than back away from his assertion that a Muslim cannot lead this nation, Carson stuck to his guns, releasing a statement claiming that he just meant that the country is not ready for an Islamic head of state at this time but that he’d be cool with one running. (So thoughtful of you, Ben.)

During Fox’s idiotic morning gabfest, both Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Brian Kilmeade came to Carson’s defense, claiming that his answer to Todd only shows his realness and he was the victim of gotcha journalism. Sentient brick Kilmeade started it off by stating that Carson was just following in the founding fathers’ footsteps by raising philosophical points about faith and government. The Fox host then pivoted to complaining that Todd asked Carson a “gotcha question”.

“They were debating whether a Muslim should be a president back in the creation of our country. There’s a whole book written on it. Back when you had Jefferson and Madison debating other great American founders about should a Jewish person be president? Should a Muslim person be president? You can have that discussion and not be labeled a racist, or a Zionist, or anything else. This is an open dialog. Why is everyone calling on everyone to apologize? It’s an ultimate gotcha moment. You have 16 people in the race and everyone’s just waiting on eggshells.”

This led to Hasselbeck interjecting, pointing out that Carson giving his answer that he “would not agree” with a Muslim being president just makes him a “real person,” unlike others. Kilmeade then added that Carson is just giving his opinion that he doesn’t think the country needs a person of Islamic faith in the White House and that should be the end of it. I mean, seriously, he’s fine with letting one run for office, OK? He just doesn’t want one to be elected. Ever. What’s the problem with that?

So, according to Fox & Friends logic, any time a Presidential candidate says something bigoted and racist, they are showing just how real they are and are likely just the victim of the media. What they are really doing is cutting through all the politically correct bullshit and telling true Americans what they want to hear. They should be celebrated for their honesty and transparency, not vilified and criticized. Unless, of course, the candidate is a Democrat. Then that shit needs to put on a loop!

Below is video of the segment, courtesy of Media Matters: