WASHINGTON — (CNN) Ben Carson said Tuesday he’s open to the idea of serving as Donald Trump’s vice president — or having Trump serve as his — should either man win the Republican nomination.
“All things are possible,” Carson said with a laugh at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco.
In the most recent Monmouth University poll, Trump is leading the race for the GOP nomination with 30%. Carson has risen second place with 18%.
The retired neurosurgeon also said if he’s the next president, he might enlist Trump’s help in developing a better Iran nuclear agreement.
“I would go back to square one, but I would know how to negotiate. You can’t have a negotiation that doesn’t involved accountability, that doesn’t involve enforcement,” he said. “Maybe I can get Donald Trump to help with the negotiations.”
Carson, Trump and former tech CEO Fiorina have risen in recent GOP presidential polling, indicating voters are enthusiastic about the idea of supporting outsider candidates, with little to no political experience.
Carson, perhaps trying to curry favor with Trump supporters, highlighted his corporate experience — serving on boards of Costco and Kellogg for more than 15 years — during the event.
“If anyone tells you that there’s not 3%-4% of fat in all of our (federal) departments, they are lying through their teeth,” he said.
Carson also said lower taxes could make Americans more charitable.
“I actually think if people have more money in their pocket, they’d be more charitable. But they’d actually be able to give it to who they want to give it to,” he said. “I believe it is our responsibility as a people to take care of those in our society. It is not the government’s job.”
Carson proposed a 10% flat tax, saying it would be fair and equitable to all Americans.
“I think God’s a pretty fair person, and he advocated a tithing system,” he said. “There must be something inherently fair about proportionality.”
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