Dr. Ben Carson quotes Isaiah during RNC speech, says God shielded Trump from death
Dr. Ben Carson quoted from the prophet Isaiah during an address Tuesday at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and expressed his belief that former President Donald Trump was supernaturally protected from death last weekend.
"Like many of you last week, I watched with horror as the events unfolded in a Pennsylvania field," Carson said in reference to the failed assassination against Trump at his rally last Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Ben Carson Brings Down the House with Epic Trump Tribute
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“I saw President Trump, a dear friend, escape death by mere inches. And my thoughts immediately turned to the book of Isaiah that says, ‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper.’”
• “First, they tried to ruin his… pic.twitter.com/MFsVLE781F
Thomas Mark Crooks, 20, fired off six to eight rounds toward the former president several minutes into his speech, but managed only to graze his right ear before Trump ducked for cover. His shots killed Corey Comperatore, 50, who was killed while shielding his daughter, and injured two others.
"I saw President Trump, a dear friend, escape death by mere inches," Carson told the convention. "And my thoughts immediately turned to the book of Isaiah that says: 'No weapon formed against you shall prosper.'"
Carson also suggested Trump has not only prevailed against every stage of opposition leveled at him, but that the actions of his enemies have often had the opposite of their intended effect.
"Let me tell you the weapons that they used," Carson said. "First, they tried to ruin his reputation, and he's more popular now than ever. And then they tried to bankrupt him, and he's got more money now than he had before. And then they tried to put him in prison, and he's freer and has made other people free with him."
"And then last weekend, they tried to kill him and there he is over there alive and well," he added, indicating to the VIP box and prompting applause from the crowd as Trump stood up.
Carson went on to say that he believes Trump's life was narrowly spared by an act of God.
"I have no doubt that God lowered a shield of protection over President Trump, and I join millions of Americans and thanksgiving for President Trump's safety. And I encourage you to join me in praying each day for his continued protection," he said.
Carson, who ran against Trump in the 2016 GOP primary but went on to serve as his secretary of housing and urban development, also noted that he got to work closely with Trump during his presidency and attested to his intelligence and compassion.
The retired neurosurgeon also lamented what he perceived as the receding influence of faith in the U.S. and the declining American dream.
"I feel blessed that I've been able to live the American dream, but my story is moving further out of reach in America," he said. "Today, the lessons my mother taught me — like hard work and the value of well-rounded, patriotic education, and faith in God above all else — are being forced out of the public square."
"But we're all here today because we know we can bring these things back," he added.
Carson closed his speech by referencing French political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville's observations on American society in the 19th century, and how it relates to the present. Despite being "duly impressed" by the American government, entrepreneurship, and high literacy, Carson noted that Tocqueville was most impressed by American faith and morality.
"The thing that impressed him the most was when he went to our churches and he heard those inspirational sermons from the pulpits that inspired a ragtag bunch of militiamen to defeat the most powerful army in the world and gave the American people a moral face," Carson said to raucous applause.
"And he concluded in his two-volume set Democracy in America with these words: he said, 'America is great, because America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.' It is our job to make America good. And let's do this by re-electing President Trump so we can make America great. Thank you."