Carson: Biden debate concerns portray country as ‘rudderless ship’

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said President Biden’s shaky debate performance Thursday portrays the U.S. as a “rudderless ship” on the international stage.

Carson, a former Trump administration official joined “The Hill” on NewsNation Friday to discuss questions over Biden’s cognitive ability after concerns spread following Biden’s lackluster performance in the debate against former President Trump.

“There are a lot of people who are much older than Joe Biden who are perfectly cognizant of what’s going on, expressing themselves well and leading normal lives,” said Carson, who is also neurosurgeon.

“You have to ask yourself the question: If you were a patient, you’re about to have surgery and somebody like Joe Biden showed up, would you … undergo that surgery? Would you get on an airplane if somebody like him showed up as a pilot? Would you let somebody like that drive a school bus your kid was on? Of course you wouldn’t,” he continued. “And we want to give him the most responsible position in the world.”

Carson, who ran against Trump in the 2016 presidential race, said Biden’s lack of energy and difficulty finishing his thoughts put the U.S. at risk, because the rest of the world was watching the debate, too.

Those concerns also sparked calls, even from members of the incumbent’s own party, for Biden to drop out of the presidential race and make room for a new candidate.

“They know that we are a rudderless ship, no leadership whatsoever,” Carson told host Blake Burman. “That’s going to cause some of our adversaries to be more adventurous and that could really result in a catastrophic situation.”

He also argued that Democrats who want to keep Biden as America’s leader are “putting all of us at risk.”

During the on-stage rematch between Biden and Trump, foreign policy was a key issue. The Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war have been sticking points for Biden’s presidency.

Trump called Putin’s terms to end fighting in Ukraine “unacceptable,” but avoided providing an explanation about how he would end the war if reelected. Biden has spent much of his time in office creating a relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and supporting efforts to end the attacks.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.