Ben Carson says black voters are being manipulated by the media

Rising Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson accused the media of manipulating black voters.

During an interview with Carson was speaking with talk show host Mike Gallagher, Carson was asked why many African-American voters disagree with him on the issue of whether or not Muslims should be president of the United States.

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"I think American blacks, over the course of this next year, will begin to see that they've been manipulated very, very largely," Carson said in response. "People telling them what they're supposed to think and what they're supposed to say."

See images of Carson on the campaign trail:

A YouGov poll found 66 percent of African-Americans believe "opposing a political candidate for office solely because they are a Muslim" is unfair -- while only 50 percent of hispanics and 41 percent of white Americans felt the same way.

Carson hinted that mainstream media was manipulating the public by not reporting the majority in favor of his statement.

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"More and more I'm finding [that they] are thinking for themselves and recognizing what really works for them and for their communities," he continued. "I believe that is a dynamic that is in the process of changing."

"One of the major things that is threatening our nation right now is divisiveness on all levels," he added in response to a question about the controversy over the Black Lives Matter vs. All Lives Matter campaigns.

"We're called the United States of America not the divided states of America," he said. "And we need a commander in chief who understands that and tries to promote our unity and not our divisions."

Listen to the full audio below:

According to the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Carson is trailing Donald Trump by only one percentage point.

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