‘Having Me as a Federal Bureaucrat Would Be Like a Fish Out of Water’
President-elect Donald Trump just tweeted that he’s “seriously considering” Dr. Ben Carson for a cabinet-level position, one that the retired neurosurgeon is entirely unqualified to perform.
“I am seriously considering Dr. Ben Carson as the head of HUD,” Trump tweeted, referring to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. “I’ve gotten to know him well–he’s a greatly talented person who loves people!”
Sure, Carson is “greatly talented” – at being a pediatric neurosurgeon – but not at running a $32 billion department with 3500 employees that deals with federal law, mortgages, housing policy, to name just a few.Â
Problematic also would be Carson’s well-known homophobia. As the head of a federal agency that in part is required to investigate anti-LGBT discrimination, Carson could be challenged to operate fairly.
Not to mention, Carson himself said he did not want a job in the administration last week:
Although on Monday he walked that back a bit, saying he would consider a cabinet position if asked.
Why did Carson say he did not want to work in the administration? Â
“Having me as a federal bureaucrat would be like a fish out of water, quite frankly.â€
Â
Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license