Shortly after the 2016 presidential election, retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson declined the chance to join the presidential administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Via a spokesman, Carson, who ran for president in 2016, said that he wasn't skilled enough to run a government agency.
"Dr. Carson was never offered a specific position, but everything was open to him," Carson's spokesman, Armstrong Williams, told The Hill last week. "Dr. Carson feels he has no government experience; he's never run a federal agency. The last thing he would want to do was take a position that could cripple the presidency."
But days later, Carson said he may have a role "in helping make America great again."
"Basically, I've said my preference is to be outside and to act as an adviser, but if after going through the process they all conclude it would be much better to have me in the Cabinet, I would have to give that very serious consideration," Carson said Sunday.
Carson told Fox News' "Your World with Neil Cavuto" that a position as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is "one of the offers that is on the table."
"Our inner cities are in terrible shape," Carson said Tuesday. "And they definitely need some real attention. There have been so many promises made over the last several decades and nothing has been done, so it certainly is something that has been a long-term interest of mine."
He took to social media Wednesday, saying he may have a role on Trump's team.
"Winning the presidential election was only the first step for those who love traditional America and do not wish to fundamentally change it. Now the hard work begins of restoring the values that made us great," Carson wrote in a Facebook post. "After serious discussions with the Trump transition team, I feel that I can make a significant contribution particularly to making our inner cities great for everyone ... An announcement is forthcoming about my role in helping to make America great again."
Trump wrote Tuesday that he was "seriously considering" Carson as the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
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