Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon and
conservative Christian celebrity, announced Sunday he's running for
president.
A formal declaration is expected later
on Monday in Detroit.
Appearing on CBS affiliate WPEC, Carson
said that he is ready to be a part of the “equation.”
“Many people have suggested to me
that I should run for president, even though I'm not a politician,”
he said. “I began to ask myself, why are people clamoring for me
to do this? … I'm not 100 percent sure politics as usual is going
to save us.”
According to The Washington Post,
nearly $16 million has been raised to support Carson's attempt to win
the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
In March, Carson was forced to
apologize for saying that he opposes marriage equality because being
gay is a choice. To drive home his point, he said: “A lot of
people go into prison straight and when they come out they're gay.”
(Related: Ben
Carson backtracks on saying prison can make you gay.)
He also recently made headlines when he
warned against pressuring bakers opposed to marriage equality because
they might poison
the wedding cakes of gay coupes.
On Sunday, he told WPEC that he has
learned from his mistakes: “I don't wander off into those
extraneous areas that can be exploited. I have learned that.”