The internet is going nuts over controversial comments Ben Carson made about the Egyptian pyramids—and even Donald Trump is entering the fray.
Carson’s comments, which recently came to public attention, came from a 1998 video of a commencement speech he made to Andrews University, a college affiliated with Carson’s Seventh-day Adventist church. But Carson has, after the story came to light, reaffirmed that he still believes the pyramids were made to store grain.
“My own personal theory is that Joseph built the pyramids to store grain,” Carson explained in the 1998 video. “Now all the archeologists think that they were made for the pharaohs’ graves. But, you know, it would have to be something awfully big if you stop and think about it. And I don’t think it’d just disappear over the course of time to store that much grain.”
“And when you look at the way that the pyramids are made, with many chambers that are hermetically sealed, they’d have to be that way for various reasons. And various of scientists have said, ‘Well, you know there were alien beings that came down and they have special knowledge and that’s how—’ you know, it doesn’t require an alien being when God is with you.”
It’s common knowledge that the pyramids were built as elaborate tombs for Egyptian’s powerful rulers, not as grain elevators. That’s not opinion but, rather, based on what archeologists actually found inside the pyramids: mummified remains of their leaders, riches for the afterlife, and even written explanations in the Ancient Egyptian language explaining what the pyramid was and what was inside. It’s unclear how an objectively brilliant man, as Carson’s groundbreaking career as a neurosurgeon would suggest, could not believe in something so conclusively documented.
It’s a theory that’s so out there that Donald Trump couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it was—vowing to use it in future attacks against Carson, who has climbed to neck-and-neck in recent polls with Trump.
Trump first learned of Carson’s beliefs during an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” and he was clearly pleased to find out the burgeoning story.
“You have informed me very interestingly about the pyramids,” Trump smirked. “I think I’ll have it put that into my repertoire when I talk to Ben.” Still incredulous, he added, “That was a strange deal.”