Morning Joe regular Mike Barnicle could not wrap his mind around the Republican's popularity, sputtering, "You know, he's such a nice man, but I'm stunned at those poll numbers.... I'm stunned." Joe Scarborough agreed: "I am too."

Citing a study by the Media Research Center's Rich Noyes, the website MarketWatch showcased just how little attention Carson has received from the press:

Trump has indeed dominated media, one study found. Two weeks before the GOP debate, Trump accounted for 55% of all Republican candidates' airtime on the ABC, CBS and NBC evening news broadcasts, according to the Media Research Center. Following the debate, Trump's share rose to 72%.

Carson can hardly say the same: In the two weeks before the debate, he had just 0.6% of all GOP candidates' airtime on those evening news broadcasts. He doubled that to 1.2% in the two weeks following the debate — still a tiny number.

Appearing on The Kelly File, Carson explained his rise in the polls:

BEN CARSON: Well, actually, one of the things that helped tremendously was the debate on FOX. When a lot of people who really didn't know who I was had an opportunity to see me and actually hear me speak myself as opposed to how I have been portrayed by many in the media who have their own agendas.

A partial transcript of the September 9 Morning Joe segment is below:

6:26am ET

BEN CARSON: We have over 400,000 donations. And the average donation is only, you know, around $50. You know, some of the letters are so poignant. You know, people on fixed incomes, and they say, you know, "I can only afford to send $25 this month." But they say, "next month, I'm going to send you $25, again. And the next month, I'm going to send you $25, again." And I've got to tell you, I do not want to disappoint those people and I certainly don't want to waste their money.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Well, that's a different approach. Obviously, we've heard a lot of people talk about the tone being much different, Ben Carson than Donald Trump.

MIKE BARNICLE: You know, he's such a nice man, but I am stunned at those poll numbers.

SCARBOROUGH: I am too. I am too.

BARNICLE: I'm stunned.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Well, he speaks from the heart.

BARNICLE: Look at that! Six percent for Jeb Bush. Four percent for Ted Cruz.

SCARBOROUGH: We've got to invite Ben Carson to come on here.

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.

BARNICLE: What is going on out there?

SCARBOROUGH: That is a good question. Willie?

WILLIE GEIST: He's got an incredible personal story, too, that not enough people know about. I suspect if he were a Democrat, there long ago would have been long, weepy pieces written about him. He grew up in poverty in Detroit to a single mother, went on to become one of the most preeminent neurosurgeons in the country. Had movies made about his career and life. I think people are going to start paying closer attention to Ben Carson.

BRZEZINSKI: Looms larger.

GEIST: Now, he's said crazy stuff.

BARNICLE: Yes.

GEIST: He compared the Affordable Care Act to slavery and other things like that, Nazism and things like that.

SCARBOROUGH: Compared America to Nazi Germany several times and defended it.

GEIST: Yeah. But he's got a compelling personal story. And like you say, he's got a different tone than any other politician we see on the stage right now.

BRZEZINSKI: Absolutely. Well, he's not a politician.