--- title: Ben Carson Says He and Trump Would Not Be 'Compatible' Running Mates description: Ben Carson said he and Donald Trump wouldn't make a good ticket. canonical: https://time.com/4068468/ben-carson-donald-trump-running-mate/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-09T18:31:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-14T00:44:56.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ben Carson Says He and Trump Would Not Be 'Compatible' Running Mates og:description: "I would obviously want somebody who is compatible with me." og:url: https://time.com/4068468/ben-carson-donald-trump-running-mate/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt21b6d3796d9fb1b8/69886783cd1bba5bff6fd90a/gettyimages-488667824.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4884 og:image:height: 2747 og:image:alt: Republican Candidates Take Part In Debates At Reagan Library In Simi Valley og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ben Carson Says He and Trump Would Not Be 'Compatible' Running Mates twitter:description: "I would obviously want somebody who is compatible with me." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt21b6d3796d9fb1b8/69886783cd1bba5bff6fd90a/gettyimages-488667824.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ben Carson Says He and Trump Would Not Be 'Compatible' Running Mates > 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 Updated: Dec 14, 2023 12:44 AM UTCPublished: Oct 9, 2015 6:31 PM UTC  Ben Carson and Donald Trump take part in the presidential debates at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 16, 2015. Ben Carson and Donald Trump take part in the presidential debates at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 16, 2015.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Updated: Dec 14, 2023 12:44 AM UTCPublished: Oct 9, 2015 6:31 PM UTC **Correction appended, Oct. 12** Ben Carson said he would not be “compatible” on a ticket with Donald Trump. During a question-and-answer period at the National Press Club, Carson was asked if he would consider the vice presidential slot in the Republican frontrunner’s campaign. He responded by saying the two wouldn’t make a good ticket. “I believe that Donald Trump has been very useful because he brought in a lot of people, a lot of curiosity and enthusiasm,” Carson said. “And whoever the eventual nominee is will benefit from that. But in terms of Vice President, I would obviously want somebody who is compatible with me.” “The things that have to be done are very very serious things,” he added. “This can’t be tinkering around the edges… and I don’t think we have a whole lot of time to do that. So it would have to be somebody who is very compatible, somebody who understands the urgency of what we’re doing.” Trump has been [defending Carson](http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/07/politics/donald-trump-ben-carson-oregon-shooting/) in the press for comments Carson made in the wake of the Oregon shooting suggesting that he would have been more aggressive towards the shooter. **Correction:** The original version of this story incorrectly quoted Ben Carson. Regarding racism he’s faced in his life, said said he is “concerned about the downtrodden people in our society.” And on the subject of Donald Trump as a running mate, he said, “in terms of Vice President, I would obviously want somebody who is compatible with me. The things that have to be done are very very serious things.. This can’t be tinkering around the edges… and I don’t think we have a whole lot of time to do that. So it would have to be somebody who is very compatible, somebody who understands the urgency of what we’re doing.” **Read More:** [_Why Ben Carson Is Running for President_](http://time.com/4055737/ben-carson-interview-time/) ### See Ben Carson's Life in Photos  An early childhood photograph of Ben Carson. Courtesy of Ben Carson Campaign  Ben Carson's graduation from Southwestern High School, Detroit circa 1969. Courtesy of Ben Carson Campaign  Ben Carson with his mother, Sonya, and his future wife, Candy after his graduation from Yale University, circa 1973. Courtesy of Ben Carson Campaign  Dr. Donlin Long, director of neurosurgery, left, and Dr. Ben Carson director of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins Hospital, with brain model of the Siamese twins separated in a 22-hour surgery at Hopkins, Sept. 7, 1987, in Baltimore. Fred Kraft—AP  Dr. Ben Carson shares his personal story with middle school students on March 17, 2000 in Roswell, N.M. Aaron J. Walker—AP  Dr Dennis Rohner, Dr Beat Hammer, Dr Ivan Ng, Dr Ben Carson, Prof. Walter Tan, and Dr Keith Goh rehearse an operation to separate conjoined twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani from Iran at Raffles Hospital on July 5, 2003 in Singapore. Reuters  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 on July 6, 2003 in Singapore. Getty Images  Ten-year-old Indian twins Sabah and Farah sit beside Ben Carson (C), Managing Director, Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, Anne Marie Moncure, their father Shakeel (L), their brother (R) and senior child specialist of Apollo Hospital, Dr. Anupan Sibal, on Oct. 4, 2005 in New Delhi. Raveendran—AFP/Getty Images  George W. Bush presents a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Ben Carson for his work with neurological disorders on June 19, 2008 at the White House in Washington. Alex Wong—Getty Images  Ben Carson officially announces his candidacy for President of the United States on May 4, 2015 in Detroit. Bill Pugliano—Getty Images  Ben Carson poses for a photo during the Iowa Republican Party's Lincoln Dinner on May 16, 2015, in Des Moines, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Ben Carson speaks during the Energizing America Gala at the 2015 Southern Republican Leadership Conference May 22, 2015 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Alex Wong—Getty Images  Ben Carson at a political fund-raiser for GOP candidates on June 6, 2015, in Boone, Iowa. Jabin Bostford—The Washington Post/Getty Images  Republican presidential candidates from left, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and John Kasich take the stage for the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland. Andrew Harnik—AP  Ben Carson prays during church services at Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church on Aug. 16, 2015 in Des Moines , Iowa. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  Ben Carson rides the Sky Glider with a reporter while touring the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 16, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  Ben Carson and his wife Candy on Aug. 18, 2015 in Phoenix. Ross D. Franklin—AP  Ben Carson is greeted by supporters at a rally on Aug. 27, 2015 in Little Rock, Ark. Danny Johnston—AP  Ben Carson at a service at Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church on Aug. 16, 2015 in Des Moines. Daniel Acker—Bloomberg/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4068468/ben-carson-donald-trump-running-mate/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4068468/ben-carson-donald-trump-running-mate/"},"headline":"Ben Carson Says He and Trump Would Not Be 'Compatible' Running Mates","datePublished":"2015-10-09T18:31:45.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-14T00:44:56.000Z","description":"Ben Carson said he and Donald Trump wouldn't make a good ticket.","url":"https://time.com/4068468/ben-carson-donald-trump-running-mate/","keywords":["2016 Election","Donald Trump","Dr. Benjamin S. 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