An attempt at humour by Republican presidential contender Ben Carson left an Iowa fifth-grader red-faced when he asked a group of students “who’s the worst student?”
Carson asked the question during a campaign rally at a private school in Cedar Rapids on Thursday in front of a crowd of about 500, according to the Des Moines Register.
“As a fifth-grade student, I was a horrible student. Anybody here in fifth grade?,” Carson said. “Who’s the worst student?”
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There was a pause before finger-pointing as students’ singled out a 10-year-old boy as the “worst student.”
“Well, let me tell you, if you had asked that question in my classroom, there would have been no doubt,” he said.
Following the rally, Carson met with the young boy and received, perhaps as small consolation prize, a copy of “You Have a Brain,” by Dr. Ben Carson.
Speaking with the Register, the boy’s mother said she was saddened to hear students pointed at her son.
“As a mother, it kind of saddens me that he would be pointed out like that,” she said. “I think he’d take it in stride … he’s very well-liked by all the students.” She added: “Personally I know he’s not the worst.”
Carson has previously spoken about how his Grade 5 classmates in Detroit had labeled him the “dumbest person in the world.”
Carson has dropped to fourth place in Iowa’s GOP primary at 9 per cent after leading the field at 29 per cent on Oct. 31, according to the latest polls. His campaign has also seen difficulties as his manager and communications director resigned in December.
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