Trump names Ben Carson housing secretary

Ben Carson grins at the Republican National Convention.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

last updated 5 December 2016

Donald Trump announced Monday that he has chosen retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson for secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Trump had teased the appointment in late November on Twitter, writing, "I am seriously considering Dr. Ben Carson as the head of HUD. I've gotten to know him well — he's a greatly talented person who loves people!" Carson, though, had expressed through a surrogate that he felt he did not have enough government experience to run a federal agency and "the last thing he would want to do was take a position that could cripple the presidency." But "Ben shares my optimism about the future of our country and is part of ensuring that this is a presidency representing all Americans," Trump said Monday.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.