--- title: Ben Carson Compared ISIS to America's Founding Fathers description: Ben Carson made another hot-button comment that he said would be misreported by "the liberal press." canonical: https://time.com/3671485/ben-carson-isis-founding-fathers/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-16T15:34:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:47:27.084Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ben Carson Trolls the Press With Another Hot-Button Quote og:description: Ben Carson made another hot-button comment that he said would be misreported by "the liberal press." og:url: https://time.com/3671485/ben-carson-isis-founding-fathers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d47ce963441fea4/69876e760b72e3d0fc6dc93f/2016-candidate-ben-carson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Ben Carson og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ben Carson Trolls the Press With Another Hot-Button Quote twitter:description: Ben Carson made another hot-button comment that he said would be misreported by "the liberal press." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d47ce963441fea4/69876e760b72e3d0fc6dc93f/2016-candidate-ben-carson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ben Carson Trolls the Press With Another Hot-Button Quote > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Jan 16, 2015 3:34 PM UTC  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Jan 16, 2015 3:34 PM UTC In a speech Thursday, conservative neurosurgeon Ben Carson said something he argues is being misinterpreted. The difference this time is that he said it would be misinterpreted as he was saying it. The neurosurgeon, who is exploring a possible presidential run in 2016, has a long history of making comments that get attention from what he calls “[the liberal press](http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-01-16/ben-carson-blames-the-liberal-press-for-making-him-sound-crazy),” which he argues twists his words to make it sound like he “says all these crazy things.” He previously argued that [Obamacare is the worst thing since slavery ](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/10/11/ben-carson-obamacare-worst-thing-since-slavery/)and [compared present day America to Nazi Germany](http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/politics/carson-stands-by-nazi-germany-comparsion/). So on Thursday, when he compared the Islamic State militants to the Founding Fathers, he knew what he was getting into. Speaking at a Republican National Committee luncheon, Carson [invoked the American Revolutionary War and said](http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/ben-carson-compares-isis-americans-the-revolutionary-war), “A bunch of rag-tag militiamen defeated the most powerful and professional military force on the planet. Why? Because they believed in what they were doing. They were willing to die for what they believed in. “Fast forward to today. What do we have? You’ve got ISIS. They’ve got the wrong philosophy, but they’re willing to die for it while we are busily giving away every belief and every value for the sake of political correctness. We have to change that.” He then went on to add this disclaimer: “Some liberal press will say, ‘Carson said that ISIS is the same as the U.S.’ I mean, that’s so ridiculous.” So how did the press report it? Here’s a few headlines: “[Ben Carson holds up ISIS as an example for US](http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/15/politics/carson-isis-us-comparison/).” (CNN) “[Ben Carson holds up Islamic State for willingness to die for convictions](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/01/15/ben-carson-holds-up-islamic-state-for-willingness-to-die-for-convictions/).” (Washington Post) “[Ben Carson equates ISIS, America’s Founding Fathers](http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/ben-carson-equates-isis-americas-founding-fathers).” (MSNBC) And then there’s this one: “[Presidential prospect Ben Carson makes questionable comparison](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/01/16/presidential-prospect-carson-likens-isis-to-american-patriots/).” That was from Fox News. _— With reporting by Zeke Miller_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3671485/ben-carson-isis-founding-fathers/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3671485/ben-carson-isis-founding-fathers/"},"headline":"Ben Carson Trolls the Press With Another Hot-Button Quote","datePublished":"2015-01-16T15:34:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:47:27.084Z","description":"Carson lauded ISIS for being willing to die for what they believe in","url":"https://time.com/3671485/ben-carson-isis-founding-fathers/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election","ISIS","Dr. Benjamin S. 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