Ben Carson Says Poverty Is A 'State Of Mind,' Folks On Twitter Give Him A Piece Of Theirs

Lee Moran
Updated

People on Twitter took Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to task after he said that poverty was a “state of mind.”

The neurosurgeon, who previously caught heat for suggesting that slaves who were brought to America were “immigrants,” made the controversial comment during a SiriusXM Radio interview with Armstrong Williams released Wednesday.

Listen to the clip here:

”I think poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind,” said Carson. “You take somebody that has the right mindset, you can take everything from them and put them on the street, and I guarantee you in a little while they’ll be right back up there.”

Carson’s comments sparked anger among Twitter users, including “Star Trek” actor George Takei. Here’s a sampling:

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Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks, Ben Carson, Ralph Abernathy and Levy Watkins at Johns Hopkins University during a celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr, Baltimore, Maryland, 1980. (Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)
Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks, Ben Carson, Ralph Abernathy and Levy Watkins at Johns Hopkins University during a celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr, Baltimore, Maryland, 1980. (Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)
SINGAPORE - JULY 6: In this handout photo from Raffles Hospital, Dr. Keith Goh (left) adjusts the frame on conjoined twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani as Dr. Ben Carson observes the start of neurosurgery proceedings at the Raffles Hospital July 6, 2003 in Singapore. Doctors reported positive early progress in the operation to separate the 29 year old twins, who are joined at the head. (Photo by Raffles Hopsital/Getty Images)
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL - NOVEMBER 06: Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks to the media before speaking at a gala for the Black Republican Caucus of South Florida at PGA National Resort on November 6, 2015 in Palm Beach, Florida. Mr. Carson has come under media scrutiny for possibly exaggerating his background and other statements he has made recently. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
US neurosurgeon Benjamin Carson addresses a press conference at the Indraprashtra Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, 04 October 2005. Carson is ready to separate ten-year-old Indian twins Sabah and Farah joined at the head as soon as their parents give permission, an Indian hospital official said. Carson and a team of 20 specialists approved the procedure after studying an angiogram of the brains of the twins at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in the Indian capital, said medical director Anupam Sibal. But the final decision rests with the parents of the twins, who were to return to Patna, capital of the impoverished eastern Indian state of Bihar, to consult with friends and family, Sibal told a media conference at the hospital.
Dr. Ben Carson is interviewed during a live streaming Web-A-Thon with Wake Up America September 5, 2014 at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Carson is a retired neurosurgeon who would run in the 2016 Presidential campaign as a conservative for the Tea Party.
Dr. Ben Carson is interviewed during a live streaming Web-A-Thon with Wake Up America September 5, 2014 at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Carson is a retired neurosurgeon who would run in the 2016 Presidential campaign as a conservative for the Tea Party.
Ben Carson, possible 2016 presidential candidate, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015. The 42nd annual CPAC, which runs until Feb. 28, features most of the potential Republican candidates for president, from Carson and Carly Fiorina to Jeb Bush and Scott Walker. 
Dr. Ben Carson (C) chats with guests after a live streaming Web-A-Thon with Wake Up America September 5, 2014 at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Carson is a retired neurosurgeon who would run in the 2016 Presidential campaign as a conservative for the Tea Party. 
Dr. Ben Carson (C) chats with guests after a live streaming Web-A-Thon with Wake Up America September 5, 2014 at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Carson is a retired neurosurgeon who would run in the 2016 Presidential campaign as a conservative for the Tea Party. 
Johns Hopkins Children's Center Neurosurgeon Benjamin Carson (C) holds a model of the conjoined twins Lea and Tabea Block during a press conference, 16 September, 2004 in Baltimore, Maryland. Surgeons completed the separation of the twins from Lemgo, Germany, who had been joined at the head, but Tabea died of major complications associated with the surgery. 
U.S. President George W. Bush (R) presents a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Benjamin S. Carson, Sr. M.D (L), for his work withneurological disorders during an East Room ceremony June 19, 2008 at the White House in Washington, DC. The medal is the nation's highest civilian award.
U.S. President George W. Bush (R) presents a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Benjamin S. Carson, Sr. M.D (L), for his work withneurological disorders during an East Room ceremony June 19, 2008 at the White House in Washington, DC. The medal is the nation's highest civilian award.

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