Dr. Ben Carson, one of the rivals President-elect Donald Trump vanquished in the Republican primary, is taking a pass on joining his administation, a friend told The Hill.
“Dr. Carson feels he has no government experience, he’s never run a federal agency,” his business manager and friend Armstrong Williams told the paper, adding that Carson would be an informal advisor to the new president.
Many online critics noted that while Carson was willing to lead the country, he apparently didn’t feel up to running a single federal agency.
They also pointed out that Carson is the only African-American, so far, who has been raised as a possible addition to Trump’s cabinet.
Appointing Carson to a key role would have been helpful to any attempt by the Trump administration to seem inclusive and diverse. Trump’s choice of chief advisor, Steve Bannon, has been accused of racism and anti-Semitism, and Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi leaders celebrated his appointment.
The New York Times said this week that Carson was a candidate to be Trump’s secretary of Education, or Health and Human Services. Armstrong told the Hill that the former neurosurgeon was not offered a specific job.
Carson is the author of the book “Gifted Hands,” about his rise from a difficult poverty that sometimes included government assistance to attending Yale University and becoming a celebrated surgeon. He endorsed Trump after exiting the Republican race.
Here our some of the Twitter reactions to his decision:
Ben Carson turned down the offer to join Trump's camp because he said he doesn't have the experience.
But
Ben
Carson
Ran
For
President— Tariq Nasheed ?? (@tariqnasheed) November 15, 2016
BEN CARSON: I don't want to be in Trump's cabinet due to lack of political experience.
REPORTER: …His or yours?
BEN CARSON: Yes.
— Ben Flores is Funny Or Die (@funnyordie) November 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/darth/status/798566795560898560