Trump nominates Ben Carson as housing secretary

Donald Trump has nominated his former rival Ben Carson as secretary of housing and urban development.

In a statement, the US President-elect said he was “thrilled to nominate” Carson, saying the retired neurosurgeon “has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities”.

“Ben shares my optimism about the future of our country and is part of ensuring that this is a presidency representing all Americans,” he said.

Carson had previously pulled himself out of the running to serve in Trump’s cabinet amid speculation that he was being considered to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

A Carson spokesperson said he did not feel he had the experience to run a federal agency and did not want to take on a role “that could cripple the presidency”.

However, he signalled a change of heart in a Facebook post ahead of today’s announcement, in which he hinted at a possible position at the federal agency tasked with overseeing America’s fair housing laws and urban development policies.

“After serious discussions with the Trump transition team, I feel that I can make a significant contribution particularly to making our inner cities great for everyone,” Carson wrote. “We have much work to do in strengthening every aspect of our nation and ensuring that both our physical infrastructure and our spiritual infrastructure is solid.”

Carson and Trump feuded bitterly during the Republican presidential primaries, with Trump at one point lambasting Carson as having a “pathological temper” akin to the illness of a child molester.

However Carson endorsed Trump in March, saying the two had “buried the hatchet”.