Ben Carson’s Last Move Shows Former HUD Secretary in Politics for the Long Haul

Members of the Trump administration have been out of work for a few weeks now, and it seems as though many have been slow to land on their feet.

This is not terribly surprising, given how chaotic and controversial the end of the Trump’s presidency was.  And, with No. 45 set to stand trial in the senate once again, there’s no telling who may or may not have their name uttered in front of Congress.

Given that Trump himself was a Washington outsider, it would make sense to find that a number of the outsiders he brought with him would return to their pro-political lives.

But for those who played their hands just right, working in the Trump administration may be a springboard to bigger and better things.

Take Ben Carson, for example.

Former Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson announced Wednesday that he’s launching a conservative think tank.

Carson, a former neurosurgeon who served as the Trump administration’s only HUD chief, said his think tank, the American Cornerstone Institute, will provide “common-sense solutions to some of our nation’s biggest problems” and be centered around the “cornerstones” of faith, liberty, community and life.

“The American Cornerstone Institute will be dedicated to creating dialogue and smart discourse. ACI will focus on promoting and preserving individual and religious liberty, helping our country’s most vulnerable find new hope, and developing methods to maximize government’s efficiency and effectiveness to best serve all our nation’s citizens,” Carson wrote in RealClearPolitics.

And that wasn’t all.

He added that he would push the think tank to promote unity at a time when the country — and the GOP — are fiercely divided.

“We must do better than this. I miss the days when Americans fought united for freedom and justice for all — equally. I miss when compromise, compassion, and civility were not only encouraged but celebrated, where individuals accepted the consequences of their actions, when politicians pursued the public good, not just their own good,” he wrote.

Carson has certainly demonstrated his high political aspirations in the past, having been a contender in the 2016 presidential race.