Tom Gates, Tuscon, Arizona asks: Why do you seek the presidency of the United States for your FIRST elected office? I know you are a highly accomplished medical doctor, but starting at the top seems backwards. Dr. Ben Carson: Well, interestingly enough, I had no intention of seeking the office of presidency of the United States. But, after the National Prayer Breakfast in 2013, there were hundreds of thousands of people just clamoring for me to do this and I thought it was silly and I said, “This will all die down,” but it never did. And, in fact, it continued to grow and I began to listen to people, and it became apparent to me that it was going to be something that was going to persist. A lot of elderly people said they had given up on America. They no longer thought that it was worth living and