Carson has been one of the few mainstays in the Trump administration While early polling of the 2020 election suggests a second term for President Donald Trump is far from a sure thing, there?s one administration official who won?t be soldiering on, even if Trump does win?Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary Ben Carson.
Speaking to the conservative news outlet Newsmax in a segment that aired Monday night, Carson said he?ll finish out Trump?s first term but is eyeing a position in the private sector ?because I think you have just as much influence, maybe more, there.?
In a statement provided to Curbed by HUD, Carson was more opaque.
?President Donald J. Trump hired me to do a job as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and we are making tremendous progress ensuring our most vulnerable citizens are empowered with a path to self-sufficiency,? Carson?s statement reads. ?I always stand ready to serve this great President and the United States of America.? Carson has been one of the few mainstays in Trump?s cabinet, where turnover has been unusually high, although it is fairly common for cabinet members to leave an administration after a first presidential term is completed.
A retired neurosurgeon, Carson had no apparent relevant experience for the position. An early ProPublica investigation into his tenure revealed Carson was slow to fill open HUD positions and showed little interest in wielding his new influence to address the affordability, se...