Murdoch apologises for calling Carson ‘a real black president’

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has apologised for remarks made in support of Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, saying he didn't mean to cause offence by calling him a "real black president".

Mr Murdoch wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that he thought Dr Carson, the retired African-American neurosurgeon, was “terrific”.

"What about a real black President who can properly address the racial divide? And much else," said the businessman, taking a swipe at Barack Obama, first black president of the United States.

Mr Murdoch stepped back from his remarks, tweeting on Thursday: “Apologies! No offence meant. Personally find both men charming.”

Asked about the controversy, Dr Carson said the businessman apologised because people took his comments “the wrong way”. He believed Mr Murdoch was trying to say Mr Obama’s policies had not helped the black community by tackling unemployment or poverty more. “I know Rupert Murdoch. He is not a racist by any stretch of the imagination,” said Dr Carson.

Running second in the polls to become the Republican nominee, Dr Carson is trailing businessman Donald Trump. Both men are riding a wave of anti-establishment fervour among the party's supporters that has pushed the two outsiders ahead of politicians in a crowded field.

The popularity of the one-time pioneering surgeon soared because of his oft-professed status as being “not politically correct” and “not a politician” at a time when Washington politics is so divisive.

Dr Carson’s outspoken nature regularly stirs controversy. He angered Muslim-Americans last month when he said a Muslim should not be president because Islam wasn’t consistent with the constitution.

This week the former director of paediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children's Centre in Baltimore drew criticism for suggesting victims of the recent shootings at a college in Oregon could have attacked the gunman rather than allow themselves to be shot.

Judge

“I would not just stand there and let him shoot me,” he told Fox News. He later clarified his remarks saying they were never intended to judge the victims.

“I’m fairly upset he said that,” said Mathew Downing (18), whose life was spared by the gunman. “Nobody could truly understand what actions they would take like that in a situation unless they lived it.”

Dr Carson spoke out against new gun controls, saying an armed citizenry was needed to protect against tyrants. The Nazis disarmed the people before the Holocaust, he said. “The likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished if the people had been armed,” he told CNN on Thursday.