MOSCOW (Sputnik) — US President-elect Donald Trump appointed on Monday retired neurosurgeon and former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson as the head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
"Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities. We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including our inner cities. 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 in a statement.
In late November Carson said in a Facebook post that he felt he could "make a significant contribution particularly to making … inner cities great for everyone."
Republican Trump secured a victory in the US presidential election on November 8 by receiving 290 electoral votes. He is currently forming the new Cabinet.
Trump’s inauguration will be held on January 20, 2017.