Ben Carson jokes his mom would have 'shot some of the dishonest reporters' to help his 2016 run

Ben Carson joked Wednesday that had his mother been "cognizant" of his run for the White House she "probably" would have "taken a gun" and "shot some of the dishonest reporters."

Carson's comments came during an interview on CBS Radio's "Brown and Scoop Podcast."

"What would your mother think seeing you run for the White House?" host Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson asked Carson.

"My mother is still alive, by the way," Carson corrected. "She has Alzheimer's."

He added: "She's not really cognizant of that, which is a good thing because my mother is really a fighter. She probably would have taken a gun and gone out and shot some of the dishonest reporters."

After dropping out of the 2016 race himself, Carson shocked many observers when he endorsed Donald Trump. The retired neurosurgeon explained on the podcast that he believed the Manhattan billionaire's brash style made him the most electable Republican candidate, but said he would not adopt his style.

"I don't know that I would adopt his style, quite frankly, but his style resonates with a large number of people largely because of where we are as a nation. We're sort of at what I call a WWE Raw stage and this is what appeals to us," he said. "That certainly is not who I am and I never will be that."

Carson also said he did not want a cabinet position, should Trump be elected.

"I get asked that a lot and I don't particularly want a government job," he said. "I feel I can be much more effective from outside the government because you don't have nearly as many constraints on you."

In recent months, Carson has made a number of peculiar comments in support of Trump. Last week, he said the real-estate mogul had low cash on hand because supporters were "confused" about where to donate. In May, he inadvertently told a reporter whom Trump was possibly considering for vice president.