Obama 'Raised White', Says Ben Carson

Ben Carson claimed he would be the country's first African-American president if elected even as he termed Barack Obama was 'raised white'.

"He's an 'African' American. He was, you know, raised white," he said during a podcast according to NBC News. "I mean, like most Americans, I was proud that we broke the color barrier when he was elected, but ... he didn't grow up like I grew up ... Many of his formative years were spent in Indonesia. So, for him to, you know, claim that, you know, he identifies with the experience of black Americans, I think, is a bit of a stretch."

Carson said he was proud when Obama was elected President but his own experiences are a contrast to that of the President, CNN reports.

The former neurosurgeon who initially gained popularity finished sixth in the South Carolina primary. He also described his treatment by the left as racist.

"Because they assume because you're black, you have to think a certain way," he said. "And if you don't think that way, you're 'Uncle Tom,' you're worthy of every horrible epithet they can come up with; whereas, if I weren't black, then I would just be a Republican."

Carson's critics termed his take on President Obama loose talk and said it was lacking of statesmanship.