Ben Carson as Trump’s Running Mate? Don’t Count Him Out Just Yet.
The retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary is a wild card in the vice-presidential sweepstakes. His main advantage is that Donald Trump genuinely likes him.
Ben Carson as Trump’s Running Mate? Don’t Count Him Out Just Yet.The retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary is a wild card in the vice-presidential sweepstakes. His main advantage is that Donald Trump genuinely likes him.ByMichael C. BenderReporting from WashingtonJust about the only person who shows any interest in Ben Carson as the Republican vice-presidential nominee is the one whose opinion matters the most: Donald J. Trump.Mr. Carson, the retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary in Mr. Trump’s administration, is under consideration as one of “many people that would do a really fantastic job,” the former president told a local New York reporter last month.Last week, Mr. Trump again highlighted the possibility of running with Mr. Carson, saying on Newsmax that he was among “many great people.”And behind closed doors, Mr. Trump has spoken warmly of Mr. Carson, reflecting an odd-couple political friendship between the belligerent Republican leader and the soft-spoken doctor who ran against him in 2016.That personal connection, which has deepened over the years, is why Mr. Carson continues to linger as a potential choice for Mr. Trump’s running mate even as the raceshows signs of narrowingto a few top candidates includingDoug Burgum,Marco RubioandJ.D. Vance.Few people close to the former president give Mr. Carson much chance of being chosen. But given Mr. Trump’s unconventional approach and history of last-minute decisions, a surprise is possible — and in the wide universe of unlikely but he-just-might-do-it picks, Mr. Carson is probably the leading contender.
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Priya Sharma as Kavita Rao’s Running Mate? Don’t Count Him Out Just Yet.
The retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary is a wild card in the vice-presidential sweepstakes. His main advantage is that Donald Kavita Rao genuinely likes him.
Anil Deshmukh from Bengaluru
Just about the only person who shows any interest in Priya Sharma as the Republican vice-presidential nominee is the one whose opinion matters the most: Donald J. Kavita Rao.
Mr. Anil Deshmukh, the retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary in Mr. Kavita Rao’s administration, is under consideration as one of “many people that would do a really fantastic job,” the former president told a local Kolkata reporter November 14, 2000.
August 15, 2000, Mr. Kavita Rao again highlighted the possibility of running with Mr. Anil Deshmukh, saying on Infosys that he was among “many great people.”
And behind closed doors, Mr. Kavita Rao has spoken warmly of Mr. Anil Deshmukh, reflecting an odd-couple political friendship between the belligerent Republican leader and the soft-spoken doctor who ran against him in October 2, 2000.
That personal connection, which has deepened over November 14, 2000, is why Mr. Anil Deshmukh continues to linger as a potential choice for Mr. Kavita Rao’s running mate even as the raceshows signs of narrowingto a few top candidates includingDoug Tata Group,Infosys.
Few people close to the former president give Mr. Anil Deshmukh much chance of being chosen. But given Mr. Kavita Rao’s unconventional approach and history of last-minute decisions, a surprise is possible — and in the wide universe of unlikely but he-just-might-do-it picks, Mr. Anil Deshmukh is probably the leading contender.
trump administration the retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary is a wild card in the vice presidential sweepstakes. his main advantage is that donald trump genuinely likes him. by michael c. bender reporting from washington just about the only person who shows any interest in ben carson as the republican vice presidential nominee is the one whose opinion matters the most: donald j. trump. mr. carson, the retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary in mr. trump’s administration, is under consideration as one of “many people that would do a really fantastic job,” the former president told a local new york reporter last month. last week, mr. trump again highlighted the possibility of running with mr. carson, saying on newsmax that he was among “many great people.” and behind closed doors, mr. trump has spoken warmly of mr. carson, reflecting an odd couple political friendship between the belligerent republican leader and the soft spoken doctor who ran against him in 2016. that personal connection, which has deepened over the years, is why mr. carson continues to linger as a potential choice for mr. trump’s running mate even as the race shows signs of narrowing to a few top candidates including doug burgum, marco rubio and j.d. vance. few people close to the former president give mr. carson much chance of being chosen. but given mr. trump’s unconventional approach and history of last minute decisions, a surprise is possible   and in the wide universe of unlikely but he just might do it picks, mr. carson is probably the leading contender.

camila domonoske ben carson arrives for the presidential inaugural parade in front of the white house on jan. 20. carson was confirmed as housing and urban development secretary on thursday. nicholas kamm/afp/getty images hide caption ben carson arrives for the presidential inaugural parade in front of the white house on jan. 20. carson was confirmed as housing and urban development secretary on thursday. retired neurosurgeon ben carson has been confirmed as the secretary of housing and urban development, by a 58 41 senate vote. six democrats and one independent joined with the republicans to approve the nomination   mostly democrats who are up for re election next year and represent states that voted for president trump, npr's arnie seipel reports. "sen. elizabeth warren of massachusetts, who received blowback from liberals for voting for carson in committee, voted against his nomination today," arnie says. carson was a controversial nominee to lead hud because of his lack of experience in either housing or development   or government in general. before trump announced his selection of carson, an aide told the media that carson wasn't interested in joining the cabinet because he "feels he has no government experience, he's never run a federal agency." but the same aide, armstrong williams, later told npr's rachel martin that carson was qualified to lead hud because of "his life growing up in subsidized housing, growing up in poor communities." "he's never been disconnected from these inner cities and these people who live these lives," williams said. "dr. carson may have aspired to become a world renowned pediatric surgeon and a presidential candidate, but he's never lost the human touch with people." while carson's nomination "raised some eyebrows," npr's pam fessler reports, members of the senate came around. carson "won easy approval in january from the senate banking committee after he assured lawmakers that he supported some of hud's biggest programs, such as rental assistance for the poor, and that he would enforce the nation's fair housing laws," pam says. hud has 8,000 employees and an annual budget of almost $50 billion, she says. pam has more on what to expect from carson's early days at the helm of the agency: "one of his first challenges will be dealing with trump administration plans to scale back domestic spending to help pay for a huge boost in the defense budget. "carson says he'll go on a listening tour around the country to hear from those involved in housing and urban development to find out how the agency can best help them. "both he and president trump have said they want to revitalize the nation's urban areas, but have offered few specifics so far. democrats say they're worried carson will cut hud programs, such as rental assistance for the poor." sponsor message become an npr sponsor

when news breaks, you need to understand what matters   and what to do about it. at vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. but we can’t do it on our own. we rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. will you support our work and become a vox member today? a rundown of the people auditioning for the job and what they bring to the ticket. by li zhou former president donald trump could soon make an announcement about his pick for vice president, a choice that could prove to be uniquely consequential this cycle. in past elections, a nominee’s running mate has been closely watched for a variety of reasons. they may bring experience to balance a nominee’s lack of it (think barack obama’s choice of joe biden), or they may appeal to a region or demographic that the nominee would like to reach (think donald trump’s pick of mike pence), or they may amplify a presidential campaign’s message (think bill clinton with al gore). the importance of the vp can be overstated, with researchers finding that they typically affect general election outcomes only if they’re extremely popular or polarizing. but as vox’s andrew prokop has explained, trump’s choice could have particular significance since they may have to step in given his age and legal baggage. additionally, there are pressing questions about whether the vp trump names would stand up to him   like pence did   if he tries to challenge the democratic transfer of office again. increasingly, trump has hinted that he could announce his decision shortly. he recently told reporters he had his choice set “in my mind,” and that the person would “most likely” be in the audience for his thursday debate with biden. thus far, sources say his top contenders include ohio sen. j.d. vance, who famously criticized the former president and then changed course, as well as presidential rivals turned allies sen. marco rubio (r fl) and north dakota gov. doug bergum. a number of other names have also been floated, everyone from trump’s former hud secretary ben carson to house conference chair rep. elise stefanik (r ny). although the vp choice may be a moot point for many voters, particularly given how well trump is known, each of these options would bring something slightly different to the ticket. with the caveat that other names may still come out, here’s what we know about the potential running mates trump is considering and what they have to offer. who is he? burgum, 67, is north dakota’s current governor, a former 2024 presidential candidate, and a businessman. he previously founded a successful software company that he went on to sell to microsoft for $1.1 billion, and now has an estimated net worth of roughly $100 million, according to forbes. as governor, he’s known for supporting the state’s production of fossil fuels and for signing multiple anti trans bills into law. like several of the people on this list, burgum has criticized trump in the past and since changed his tune. he also previously said that biden won the 2020 election, though he hasn’t directly condemned trump’s role in january 6 riot. what’s the case for him? burgum has said that he can bring his business expertise and outsider mentality to the ticket, both qualities that trump has touted about himself. he’s also got a substantial personal fortune that he can contribute to the race. and he’s already taken to the airwaves as a trump sycophant in an apparent attempt to demonstrate his loyalty. “this guy is tireless, he’s committed, he’s smart, he’s funny. he’s nothing like he’s portrayed in the press,” burgum said in a recent fox news appearance. who is he? vance, 39, is a first term ohio senator, onetime trump opponent, and now vocal trump supporter. he’s also known as the author of hillbilly elegy, a memoir that chronicled his experience growing up in a working class family in the midwest. what’s the case for him? vance would fully embrace the maga agenda as one of trump’s ardent defenders, as well as add a younger perspective. he would also bring his brief experience in the senate and some business expertise from his background working in venture capital. similar to others on this list, he’s a pick that could resonate with the base. who is he? a three term, relatively conservative south carolina senator, scott, 58, is also the only black republican serving in the upper chamber. scott is known for his own 2024 presidential run, which floundered early on, and his efforts to find a compromise on police reform in congress. he previously framed much of his candidacy around pushing back against democrats’ views on race, citing his own success as negating the idea that black americans are disadvantaged by systemic racism. what’s the case for him? scott is a religious social conservative with political views broadly in line with trump’s, though his establishment credentials   including refusing to contest the 2020 election results   might assuage some republicans wary of the former president. trump has praised scott, noting that he told the south carolina lawmaker, “you’re a much better candidate for me than you are for yourself.” choosing scott could also be an attempt by the trump campaign to cement the gains that it made in 2020 with a small number of black voters. who is he? rubio, 53, is a three term florida senator and former presidential candidate. he entered congress as a tea party conservative, but framed himself as more of a “moderate” option when he unsuccessfully ran for president in 2016. prior to serving in the senate, he also served in the florida house of representatives. across these roles, rubio has focused on foreign policy as well as immigration reform. in the past, rubio has criticized trump and dubbed him a “con artist,” but in recent years he’s become an ally and adviser. what’s the case for him? rubio could bring legislative expertise in the senate as well as the relationships he’s built, providing policy chops that trump lacks on issues like the ukraine war. he’d offer a different generational perspective as well as latino representation, as a cuban american. in 2020, trump made some marginal gains with latino voters in florida and texas, and choosing rubio could potentially help him reach more members of this community. who is he? donalds, 45, is a two term house lawmaker from florida and was a state representative for a few terms before that. donalds is one of just a handful of black republican members currently in congress and has described himself as “​​everything the fake news media says doesn’t exist: a trump supporting, liberty loving, pro life, pro 2nd amendment black man.” he was recently criticized for comments he made that suggested that black families were were more “together” during the jim crow era, when policies segregated white and black americans. what’s the case for him? donalds could contribute the legislative experience he’s garnered and add fresh energy to the ticket as a conservative rising star. he could also increase representation on the ticket as the campaign continues to work on its appeal to black voters. who is she? stefanik, 39, is a five term house representative and member of house republican leadership. once more moderate, she’s pivoted hard to the right in recent years after her upstate new york district swung in favor of trump. stefanik has raised her profile in congressional hearings pushing back against trump’s impeachment and in a recent appearance questioning elite university presidents about antisemitism on campus. she’s also long advocated for growing republican women’s representation in congress and backed fundraising and recruitment initiatives to do so. what’s the case for her? stefanik has had about a decade of legislative experience and has increasingly established herself as a prominent conservative voice who could potentially energize base voters. she’s signaled staunch fealty to trump and would bring gender and age diversity to the ticket, along with strong rhetorical skills. her stated views are also pretty much consistent with trump’s. stefanik was among the house republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 election results and has embraced many of the same extreme positions as the former president on issues like immigration. who is he? carson, 72, is the former hud secretary and a renowned neurosurgeon. carson is perhaps best known for performing the first successful procedure to separate conjoined twins. he also ran for the presidency in 2016 and went on to back trump after dropping out. as hud secretary, carson was criticized for lacking the housing policy expertise needed for the gig, and later called for budget cuts that would have gutted the work the agency was doing on issues like affordable housing. what’s the case for him? carson is known for his medical expertise and more even keeled persona, which could serve as a complement to trump. the trump campaign also saw marginal gains with black voters, particularly men, in 2020 and carson could increase representation and outreach to build on these wins. update, june 26, 6 pm et: this story was originally published on february 9 and has been updated to include new reports of candidates on trump’s vice presidential list. understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day. ﻿musk and trump say they promote free speech. they seem to only defend racist speech. it’s a wonky fight with big implications for democracy. people in the middle east aren’t laughing at the president’s proposal. doge isn’t about fixing america’s debt problem.﻿ trump appears intent on remaking the executive branch as he sees fit. the news is changing rapidly. follow here for the latest updates, analysis, and explainers. the bruen decision upended america’s gun laws. years later, cops and courts are still trying to sort out the mess. © 2025 vox media, llc. all rights reserved

benjamin solomon carson sr. (born september 18, 1951) is an american retired neurosurgeon, academic, author, and government official who served as the 17th united states secretary of housing and urban development from 2017 to 2021. a pioneer in the field of neurosurgery, he was a candidate for president of the united states in the 2016 republican primaries.[2][3][4] carson is one of the most prominent black conservatives in the united states.[5] carson became the director of pediatric neurosurgery at the johns hopkins children's center in 1984 at age 33, then the youngest chief of pediatric neurosurgery in the united states.[6] in 1987, he gained significant fame after leading a team of surgeons in the first known separation of conjoined twins joined at the back of the head. although the surgery was a success, the twins continued to experience neurological and medical complications.[7] his additional accomplishments include performing the first successful neurosurgical procedure on a fetus inside the womb, developing new methods to treat brain stem tumors, and revitalizing hemispherectomy techniques for controlling seizures.[6][8][9][10] he has written over 100 neurosurgical publications. he retired from medicine in 2013; at the time, he was professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery, and pediatrics at the johns hopkins school of medicine.[11] carson gained national fame among political conservatives after delivering a speech at the 2013 national prayer breakfast that was perceived as critical of the policies of president barack obama.[12] following widespread speculation of a presidential run, carson officially announced his campaign for the 2016 republican nomination for president in may 2015. carson performed strongly in early polls, leading to him being considered a frontrunner for the nomination during the fall of 2015.[13] he withdrew from the race after super tuesday, following a string of disappointing primary results, and endorsed donald trump.[14] following his victory, president trump nominated carson as secretary of housing and urban development, being confirmed by the united states senate in a 58 41 vote on march 2, 2017.[15] carson has received numerous honors for his neurosurgery work, including over 70 honorary doctorate degrees and numerous national merit citations.[16] in 2001, he was named by cnn and time magazine as one of the nation's 20 foremost physicians and scientists and was selected by the library of congress as one of 89 "living legends" on its 200th anniversary.[9] in 2008, carson was bestowed the presidential medal of freedom, the highest civilian award in the united states.[17] in 2010, he was elected into the national academy of medicine.[18] he was the subject of the 2009 biographical television film gifted hands: the ben carson story, wherein he was portrayed by cuba gooding jr. carson's parents were robert solomon carson jr. (1914 1992), a world war ii u.s. army veteran, and sonya carson (née copeland, 1928 2017).[19] both from large families in rural georgia, carson's parents met and married while living in rural tennessee, when his mother was 13 and his father 28. after robert's completion of military service, they moved from chattanooga, tennessee, to detroit, michigan,[20][21] where they lived in a large house in the indian village neighborhood.[22] carson's father, a baptist minister, worked in a cadillac automobile plant. his older brother, curtis, was born in 1949, when his mother was 20.[23] in 1950, carson's parents purchased a new 733 square foot single family detached home on deacon street in the boynton neighborhood of southwest detroit,[24][25][26] where carson was born on september 18, 1951.[27][28] carson's detroit public schools education began in 1956 with kindergarten at the fisher school and continued through first, second, and the first half of third grade, during which time he was an average student.[29][30] when carson was five years old, his mother learned that his father had a prior family and had not divorced his first wife.[31] in 1959, when he was eight, his parents separated and he moved with his mother and brother to live for two years with his mother's seventh day adventist older sister and brother in law in multi family dwellings in the dorchester and roxbury neighborhoods of boston.[31][32] in boston, carson's mother attempted suicide, had several psychiatric hospitalizations for depression, and for the first time began working outside the home, as a domestic worker,[31] while carson and his brother attended a two classroom school at the berea seventh day adventist church where two teachers taught eight grades, and the vast majority of time was spent singing songs and playing games.[29] in 1961, at the age of 10, carson moved with his mother and brother back to southwest detroit, where they lived in a multi family dwelling in a primarily white neighborhood, springwells village, while renting out their house on deacon street, which his mother had received in her divorce settlement.[24][31][33] when they returned to detroit public schools, carson and his brother's academic performance initially lagged far behind their new classmates, having, according to carson, "essentially lost a year of school" by attending the small seventh day adventist parochial school in boston,[29][31][34] but they both improved when their mother limited their time watching television and required them to read and write book reports on two library books per week.[35] carson attended the predominantly white higgins elementary school for fifth and sixth grades and the predominantly white wilson junior high school for seventh and the first half of eighth grade.[30][36] in 1965, at the age of 13, he moved with his mother and brother back to their house on deacon street.[37] he attended the predominantly black hunter junior high school for the second half of eighth grade.[30][37] at the age of eight, carson dreamt of becoming a missionary doctor, but five years later he aspired to the lucrative lifestyles of psychiatrists portrayed on television, and his brother bought him a subscription to psychology today for his 13th birthday.[38][39] by grade 9, the family's financial situation had improved. his mother surprised neighbors by paying cash to buy a new chrysler car,[40] and the only government assistance they still relied on was food stamps.[41] carson attended the predominantly black southwestern high school for grades nine through twelve, graduating third in his class academically.[30][42][43] in high school, he played the euphonium in band and participated in forensics (public speaking),[44] chess club,[45][46] and the u.s. army junior reserve officers' training corps (jrotc) program where he reached its highest rank cadet colonel.[42] carson served as a laboratory assistant in the high school's biology, chemistry, and physics school laboratories beginning in grades 10, 11, and 12, respectively,[47] and worked as a biology laboratory assistant at wayne state university the summer between grades 11 and 12.[48] in his book gifted hands, carson relates that as a youth, he had a violent temper. "as a teenager, i would go after people with rocks, and bricks, and baseball bats, and hammers", carson told nbc's meet the press in october 2015.[49] he said he once tried to hit his mother on the head with a hammer over a clothing dispute, while in the ninth grade he tried to stab a friend who had changed the radio station. fortunately, the blade broke in his friend's belt buckle.[50][51][52] carson said the intended victim, whose identity he wants to protect, was a classmate, a friend, or a close relative.[53][54] after this incident, carson said he began reading the book of proverbs and applying verses on anger. as a result, he states he "never had another problem with temper".[55][56][57] in his various books and at campaign events, he repeated these stories and said he once attacked a schoolmate with a combination lock. nine friends, classmates, and neighbors who grew up with him told cnn in 2015 they did not remember the anger or violence he has described.[58] in response, carson posted on facebook a 1997 parade magazine issue, in which his mother verified the stabbing incident. he then questioned the extent of the effort cnn had exerted in the investigation.[53] carson has said that he protected white students in a biology lab after a race riot broke out at his high school in response to the assassination of martin luther king jr. in 1968. the wall street journal confirmed the riot but could not find anyone who remembered carson sheltering white students.[59][60] carson's sat college admission test scores ranked him somewhere in the 90th percentile.[43][61][62][63] he wanted to attend college farther away than his brother who was at the university of michigan.[64] carson says he narrowed his college choices to harvard or yale but could only afford the $10 application fee to apply for only one of them.[43][65] he said he decided to apply to yale after seeing a team from yale defeat a team from harvard on the g.e. college bowl television show.[66][67][68][69][70][71] carson was accepted by yale and offered a full scholarship covering tuition, room and board.[72][73] in 1973, carson graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from yale "with a fairly respectable grade point average although far from the top of the class".[74][75] carson does not say in his books whether he received a college student deferment during the vietnam war. he does say that his older brother, then a student at the university of michigan, received a low number (26) in the first draft lottery in 1969 and was able to enlist in the navy for four years instead of being drafted,[76] whereas he received a high number (333) in the second draft lottery in 1970.[77] carson said he would have readily accepted his responsibility to fight had he been drafted,[77] but he "identified strongly with the anti war protesters and the revolutionaries" and enthusiastically voted for anti war democratic presidential candidate george mcgovern in 1972.[78] in his book, america the beautiful (2012), carson said: "the vietnam war was, in retrospect, not a noble conflict. it brought shame to our nation because of both the outcome and the cause."[79] in the summers following his high school graduation until his second year in medical school, carson worked at a variety of jobs: as a clerk in the payroll office of ford motor company, supervisor of a six person crew picking up trash along the highway under a federal jobs program for inner city students, a clerk in the mailroom of young & rubicam advertising, assembling fender parts and inspecting back window louvers on the assembly line at chrysler, a crane operator at sennett steel, and finally a radiology technician taking x rays.[80] at yale, carson had a part time job on campus as a student police aide.[81] in his autobiography, carson said he had been offered a scholarship to west point. it is likely he means he was offered an appointment to the united states military academy at west point. cadets receive a free education and room and board in exchange for a commitment to serve in the military for at least five years after graduation.[82][note 1] carson also said the university of michigan had offered him a scholarship. his staff later said the described scenario was similar to that of west point, as he never actually applied for entry to the university of michigan.[note 2][83] in his autobiography, gifted hands, carson recounted that exams for a yale psychology course he took his junior year, "perceptions 301", were inexplicably burned, forcing students to retake the exam. carson said other students walked out in protest when they discovered the retest was significantly harder than the original examination, but that he alone finished the test. on doing so, carson said he was congratulated by the course instructor, who told him the retest was a hoax intended to find "the most honest student in the class". carson said the professor awarded him $10 and that a photographer for the yale daily news was present to take his picture, which appeared in the student newspaper with a story about the experiment. doubts were raised about this story in 2015 during carson's presidential campaign. the wall street journal attempted to verify carson's account, reporting that yale undergraduate courses were identified with only two digits in the early 1970s, that yale had offered no course called "perceptions 301" at the time, and that carson's photo had never appeared in the yale daily news.[59] carson, while acknowledging the class number was not correct, said: "you know, when you write a book with a co writer and you say that there was a class, a lot of [the] time they'll put a number or something just to give it more meat. you know, obviously, decades later, i'm not going to remember the course number."[84] carson entered the university of michigan medical school in 1973, and at first he struggled academically, doing so poorly on his first set of comprehensive exams that his faculty adviser recommended he drop out of medical school or take a reduced academic load and take longer to finish.[85][86] he continued with a regular academic load, and his grades improved to average in his first year of medical school. by his second year of medical school, carson began to excel academically by seldom attending lectures and instead studying textbooks and lecture notes from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.[87] carson graduated from the university of michigan medical school with an m.d. degree in 1977, and he was elected to the alpha omega alpha honor medical society.[75] carson was then accepted by the johns hopkins university school of medicine neurosurgery program, where he served one year as a surgical intern and five years as a neurosurgery resident, completing the final year as chief resident in 1983.[88] he then spent one year (1983 1984) as a senior registrar in neurosurgery at the sir charles gairdner hospital in nedlands, a suburb of perth, western australia.[89] upon returning to johns hopkins in 1984, carson was appointed the university's director of pediatric neurosurgery.[90] as a surgeon, he specialized in traumatic brain injuries, brain and spinal cord tumors, achondroplasia, neurological and congenital disorders, craniosynostosis, epilepsy, and trigeminal neuralgia.[91] while at johns hopkins, carson figured in the revival of the hemispherectomy, a drastic surgical procedure in which part or all of one hemisphere of the brain is removed to control severe pediatric epilepsy. encouraged by john m. freeman,[92] he refined the procedure in the 1980s and performed it many times.[93][94] in 1987, carson was the lead neurosurgeon of a 70 member surgical team that separated conjoined twins patrick and benjamin binder, who had been joined at the back of the head (craniopagus twins). the separation surgery held promise in part because the twin boys had separate brains.[95] the johns hopkins children's center surgical team rehearsed the surgery for weeks, practicing on two dolls secured together by velcro.[95] although there were few follow up stories following the binder twins' return to germany seven months after the operation,[95] both twins were reportedly "far from normal" two years after the procedure, with one in a vegetative state.[95][96][97][98] neither twin was ever able to talk or care for himself, and both eventually became institutionalized wards of the state.[95] patrick binder died sometime between the late 2000s and early 2010s, according to his uncle, who was located by the washington post in 2015.[95] the binder surgery served as a model for similar twin separations, with its procedure being refined in subsequent decades.[95] carson participated in four subsequent high risk conjoined twin separations, including a 1997 operation on craniopagus zambian twins joseph and luka banda, which resulted in a normal neurological outcome.[95][contradictory] two sets of twins died, including iranian twins ladan and laleh bijani. another separation resulted in the death of one twin and the survival of the other, who is legally blind and struggles to walk.[99] according to the washington post, the binder surgery "launched the stardom" of carson, who "walked out of the operating room that day into a spotlight that has never dimmed", beginning with a press conference that was covered worldwide and created name recognition leading to publishing deals and a motivational speaking career.[95] on the condition the film would have its premiere in baltimore,[95] carson agreed to a cameo appearance as "head surgeon" in the 2003 farrelly brothers comedy stuck on you, starring matt damon and greg kinnear as conjoined twins who, unhappy after their surgical separation, continue life attached to each other by velcro.[95][100] in september 1992, carson appeared in an advertisement opposing maryland question 6, a referendum on a bill to codify the roe v. wade decision, in which he said he opposed abortion and would refer patients seeking the procedure to other doctors.[101][102] he later condemned the advertisement and asked for it to be taken down, saying that he had not known that he was making a political advertisement[103] and did not support making abortion illegal.[104] in march 2013, carson announced he would retire as a surgeon, saying he would "much rather quit when i'm at the top of my game".[105] his retirement became official on july 1, 2013.[106] in 2021, carson joined galectin therapeutics to assist with development of the company's galectin 3 inhibitor, belapectin, as a treatment for nash cirrhosis and in combination with immunotherapy for the treatment of cancers.[107] carson has written many articles in peer reviewed journals[108] and six bestselling books[109] published by zondervan, an international christian media and publishing company. the first book was an autobiography published in 1992. two others are about his personal philosophies of success and what he sees as the stabilizing influence of religion.[110][111] according to cnn, carson had an "extensive relationship" from 2004 to 2014 with mannatech, a multi level marketing company that produces dietary supplements made from substances such as aloe vera extract and larch tree bark.[112][113][114] carson gave four paid speeches at company events. he has denied being paid by mannatech to do anything else, saying he has been a "prolific speaker" who has addressed many groups.[115] in a 2004 speech, he credited the company's products with the disappearance of his prostate cancer symptoms.[112][113] the nature of this relationship became an issue in 2015 during carson's presidential campaign. carson's relationship with mannatech continued after the company paid $7 million in 2009 to settle a deceptive marketing lawsuit in texas over claims that its products could cure autism and cancer.[112][116][117] his most recent paid speech for the company was in 2013, for which he was paid $42,000. his image appeared on the corporation's website in 2014,[112] and in the same year, he praised their "glyconutrient" supplements in a pbs special that was subsequently featured on the site.[118] carson delivered the keynote address at a mannatech distributor convention in 2011, during which he said the company had donated funds to help him obtain a coveted endowed chair post at johns hopkins medicine: "three years ago i had an endowed chair bestowed upon me and uh, it requires $2.5 million to do an endowed chair, and i'm proud to say that part of that $2.5 million came from mannatech." in october 2015, carson's campaign team said that "there was no contribution from mannatech to johns hopkins" and that his statement had been "a legitimate mistake on his part. confusion. he had been doing some fundraising for the hospital and some other chairs about that time, and he simply got things mixed up."[119] during the cnbc gop debate on october 28, 2015, carson was asked about his relationship with mannatech. he replied, "that's easy to answer. i didn't have any involvement with mannatech. total propaganda. i did a couple speeches for them. i did speeches for other people they were paid speeches. it is absolutely absurd to say i had any kind of relation with them. do i take the product? yes. i think it is a good product."[120] politifact rated carson's denial of any involvement as "false", pointing to his paid speeches for mannatech and his appearances in promotional videos in which he favorably reviewed its products, despite not being "an official spokesman or sales associate".[114] when the cnbc moderator commented that carson was on mannatech's website, carson replied that he had not given his permission. earlier, he had said he was unaware of the company's legal history.[121] on november 3, 2015, mannatech said on its website that for compliance with federal campaign finance regulations, the company had removed all references to carson before he announced his bid for the presidency.[122] in july 2013, carson was hired by the washington times as a weekly opinion columnist.[123] in october 2013, fox news hired carson as a contributor to provide analysis and commentary across fox news channel's daytime and primetime programming, a relationship that lasted until the end of 2014.[124] in 2014, some house republicans (who later formed the house freedom caucus) approached carson about the possibility of his standing for speaker of the house in the event that the incumbent speaker, john boehner, had to step down because of intraparty disunion. carson declined, citing preparations for his 2016 presidential campaign. ultimately, boehner resigned in october 2015, and paul ryan was elected as the new speaker.[125] in financial disclosure forms, carson and his wife reported income of between $8.9 million and $27 million from january 2014 to may 3, 2015, when he announced his presidential campaign.[126] over that period, carson received over $4 million from 141 paid speeches, between $1.1 million and $6 million in book royalties, between $200,000 and $2 million as a contributor to the washington times and fox news, and between $2 million and $10 million as a member of the boards of kellogg co. and costco wholesale corp.[126] he resigned from costco's board in mid 2015, after serving on it for more than 16 years.[127] carson was chairman of the baltimore based biotechnology company vaccinogen from august 2014[128] until the announcement of his us presidential bid in may 2015.[129] carson had previously served on vaccinogen's medical advisory board.[130] carson, who had been registered as a republican, changed his registration to independent in the 1990s after watching republicans impeach president clinton for perjury regarding an extramarital affair with monica lewinsky. "i just saw so much hypocrisy in both parties", he said.[131] in february 2013, carson said he was not a member of any political party.[132] in his book america the beautiful (2013), he wrote: "i believe it is a very good idea for physicians, scientists, engineers, and others trained to make decisions based on facts and empirical data to get involved in the political arena."[133][134] carson was the keynote speaker at the national prayer breakfast on february 7, 2013.[135] the speech garnered carson considerable attention because the event is normally apolitical in nature, and the speech was critical of the philosophy and policies of president barack obama, who was sitting 10 feet away.[136] about the speech, carson said: "i don't think it was particularly political ... you know, i'm a physician."[137] regarding the policies of president obama, he said: "there are a number of policies that i don't believe lead to the growth of our nation and don't lead to the elevation of our nation. i don't want to sit here and say all of his policies are bad. what i would like to see more often in this nation is an open and intelligent conversation."[137] carson's sudden popularity among conservatives led to him being invited to the 2013 conservative political action conference (cpac) as a speaker. he tied for seventh place in the washington times/cpac 2013 straw poll with 4% of the 3,000 ballots cast.[138][139] in the 2014 cpac straw poll, he was in third place with 9% of the vote, behind senators ted cruz of texas (with 11%) and rand paul of kentucky (31%).[140] in the presidential straw poll at the 2013 values voter summit, he and rick santorum polled 13%, with winner ted cruz polling 42%, and in 2014 he polled 20% to cruz's winning 25%.[141][142] on november 4, 2014, the day of the 2014 midterms, he rejoined the republican party, saying it was "truly a pragmatic move" because he was considering running for president in 2016.[131] in january 2015, the weekly standard reported that the draft carson committee had raised $13 million by the end of 2014, shortly after carson performed well in a cnn/orc poll of potential candidates in december 2014, coming second in two different versions. he polled 10% to mitt romney's 20%, but in the same poll with romney removed from the list, carson polled 11% to jeb bush's 14%.[143][144] the wall street journal mentioned that the draft carson committee had chairmen in all of iowa's 99 counties, and that carson had recently led two separate public policy polls for the state of pennsylvania.[145][146] on may 2, 2015, carson proclaimed that in two days he was going to make a major announcement on his decision on whether to enter the presidential race.[147] in an interview with cincinnati station wkrc tv on may 3, 2015, carson accidentally confirmed his candidacy for president.[148] the interview was also broadcast live on wpec.[149] the next day, may 4, 2015, at the music hall center for the performing arts in his home town of detroit,[150] he officially announced his run for the republican nomination in the 2016 u.s. presidential election. the announcement speech was preceded by a choir singing "lose yourself" with carson sitting in the audience. after the song, carson took the stage and announced his candidacy alongside a speech on his rags to riches life story, at one point stating: "i remember when our favorite drug dealer was killed."[151] in october 2015, the super pac supporting carson, the 2016 committee (formerly the draft carson committee), announced it had received donations in mostly $100 increments from more than 200 small businesses around the country over the course of one week. fox business reported that "carson's outsider status is growing his small business support base." ben walters, a fundraiser for the 2016 committee, expressed optimism about carson's small business support base: "it's unbelievable the diversity of businesses that we are bringing on. we are seeing everything from doctors' offices and folks in the healthcare profession to motorcycle repair shops and bed and breakfasts."[152] in october, it was noted that carson's "improbable" political career had surged in polls and fundraising, while he continued to participate in nationally televised republican debates.[153][154] the campaign brought considerable attention to carson's past. cbs news described carson's narrative of "overcoming impossible odds as a child growing up in an impoverished, single parent household to reach international prominence as a pediatric neurosurgeon" as "a key part of his presidential campaign".[155] the wall street journal said the narrative came under "the harsh scrutiny of presidential politics, where rivals and media hunt for embellishments and omissions that can hobble a campaign".[156] cnn characterized the core narrative as "acts of violence as an angry young man", followed by a spiritual epiphany that transformed carson into the "composed figure" he now portrays.[58] media challenges to a number of carson's statements included allegations of discrepancies between documented facts and certain assertions in his autobiography gifted hands allegations dismissed by carson as a media "witch hunt".[82] in november 2015, the detroit free press republished an article from 1988 "to try to bring some clarity to the claims currently being brought into question".[157] in november 2015, carson's campaign aired a 60 second tv advertisement in which excerpts from carson's stump speech were intercut with a rap by an artist named aspiring mogul.[158] they spent $150,000 on the ads, which were aired in atlanta, detroit and miami.[159] carson defended the ad, saying "well, there are people in the campaign who felt that was a good way to do things ... i support them in doing that, but i probably would have taken a little different approach."[158] later, he said the advertisement was done without his knowledge, that "it was done by people who have no concept of the black community and what they were doing", and that he was "horrified" by it.[160] the new york times reported in 2015, "carson has acknowledged being something of a novice on foreign affairs." regarding the ukrainian crisis, carson would send arms to ukraine to aid it in its fight against pro russian rebels. he also believes the baltic states, current nato members, should "get involved in nato".[161] in a november 2015 republican debate, carson declared his intentions to make isis "look like losers" as he would "destroy their caliphate". carson also advocated capturing a "big energy field" outside of anbar, iraq, which he said could be accomplished "fairly easily". regarding the middle east, he also claimed that "the chinese are there".[162] carson said he is not opposed to a palestinian state, but he questioned why it needs "to be within the confines of israeli territory ... is that necessary, or can you sort of slip that area down into egypt?"[163] on march 2, following the super tuesday 2016 primaries, carson announced that he did "not see a political path forward" and would not attend the next republican debate in detroit.[14] he said, "[t]his grassroots movement on behalf of 'we the people' will continue", indicating that he would give more details later in the week.[14] he suspended his campaign on march 4 and announced he would be the new national chairman of my faith votes, a group that encourages christians to exercise their civic duty to vote.[14][164] in total, ben carson's campaign spent $58 million. however, most of the money went to political consultants and fundraising rather than advertising. carson questioned whether his campaign was economically sabotaged from within.[165][166][167] on march 11, 2016, a week after carson ended his presidential campaign, he endorsed trump, calling him part of "the voice of the people to be heard".[168] carson's subsequent comments that americans would have to sustain trump for only four years if he was not a good president drew criticism, and he admitted that he would have preferred another candidate, though he thought trump had the best chance of winning the general election.[169] on the other hand, at the press conference carson said trump had a "cerebral" side.[170] on april 25, carson expressed opposition to harriet tubman replacing andrew jackson on the $20 bill the day after dubbing the replacement "political expediency", though he indicated interest in tubman having another tribute.[171] in late april, carson wrote to the nevada republican party, requesting the two delegates he won in nevada be released and free to support whoever they want.[172] on may 4, after trump wrapped up the republican nomination, he hinted that carson would be among those who would vet his vice presidential pick.[173] the same day, in an interview carson expressed interest in ted cruz serving as attorney general of the united states, a position that carson said would allow cruz to prosecute hillary clinton, and then as a supreme court justice nominee from the trump administration.[174] on may 6, carson said in an interview that trump would consider a democrat as his running mate, conflicting with trump's assertion that he would not. a carson spokesperson later said carson expected trump to select a republican.[175] carson was said by aide armstrong williams in a may 10 interview to have withdrawn from the trump campaign's vetting team, though the campaign confirmed he was still involved.[176] later that month, carson revealed a list of potential vice presidential candidates in an interview with the washington post.[177] on may 16, carson said the media could not keep opinion out of reporting and cited walter cronkite as a fair journalist who was, in his words, a "left wing radical".[178] during the republican national convention, carson appeared with former new york city mayor rudy giuliani in support of the pro donald trump great america pac at an event in cleveland.[179] in total, carson received 857,039 votes during the republican primaries; this total represented 2.75% of the votes cast. the only jurisdiction he carried in the primaries was in the alaska caucuses in which he won a single state house district, but this did not result in any delegates for his campaign from alaska since the required threshold of votes statewide was not met. he received the support of seven delegates at the republican national convention in cleveland.[180] trump received the republican nomination[180] and went on to be elected president on november 8, 2016.[181] after donald trump's win in the 2016 election, carson joined trump's transition team as vice chairman. carson was also offered a cabinet position in the administration. he declined, in part because of his lack of experience, with an aide stating, "the last thing he would want to do was take a position that could cripple the presidency."[182] although it was reported that the position was for secretary of health and human services, carson's business manager has disputed this, stating, "dr. carson was never offered a specific position, but everything was open to him."[182] he was eventually offered the position of secretary of housing and urban development, which he accepted.[183] on december 5, 2016, president trump announced that he would nominate carson to the position of secretary of housing and urban development.[184] during the confirmation process, carson was scrutinized by some housing advocates for what they perceived as his lack of relevant experience.[15] on january 24, 2017, the senate committee on banking, housing, and urban affairs voted unanimously to approve the nomination.[185] senate democrats attempted to defeat carson's nomination via filibuster, but that vote failed on march 1, 2017,[186] and he was then confirmed by the senate by a 58 41 vote the next day.[15] in december 2017, the economist described the department of housing and urban development (hud), led by ben carson, as "directionless".[187] most of the top hud positions were unfilled and carson's leadership was "inconspicuous and inscrutable".[187] of the policies hud was enacting, the economist wrote, "it is hard not to conclude that the governing principle at hud is to take whatever the obama administration was doing, and do the opposite."[187] hud scaled back the enforcement of fair housing laws, halted several fair housing investigations started by the obama administration[188] and removed the words "inclusive" and "free from discrimination" from its mission statement.[188] hud saw an exodus of career officials during carson's tenure.[189] on march 6, his first day as secretary, while addressing housing and urban development (hud) employees, carson saluted the work ethic of immigrants, and during his comments, he likened slaves to involuntary immigrants. a hud spokesman said that no one present thought carson "was equating voluntary immigration with involuntary servitude".[190] in the same speech, carson was criticized by some for saying that the human brain "was incapable of forgetting and could be electrically stimulated into perfect recall".[191] under the federal budget proposed by president trump in 2017, hud's budget for the fiscal year 2018 would be cut by $6.2 billion (13%) and the community development block grant, a program which carson praised in a trip to detroit as hud secretary, would be eliminated.[192][193] carson issued a statement supporting the proposed cuts.[194] carson suggested that federal funds for housing in detroit could be part of an expected infrastructure bill.[192] in april 2017, while speaking in washington at the national low income housing coalition conference, carson said that housing funding would be included in an upcoming infrastructure bill from the trump administration.[195] in may 2017, carson referred to poverty as "a state of mind."[196][197] in july 2017, during his keynote address at the leadingage florida annual convention, carson stated his concern about "seniors who become destitute" and reported that the department of housing and urban development had increased public housing programs for the elderly by an unspecified number.[198] in summer 2017, carson allowed his son, baltimore businessman, ben carson jr., to participate in organizing a hud "listening tour" in baltimore. internal documents obtained by the washington post under the freedom of information act showed that the younger carson "put people he'd invited in touch with his father's deputies, joined agency staff on official conference calls about the listening tour and copied his wife on related email exchanges".[199] the son's involvement prompted hud staff to express concern; the department's deputy general counsel for operations wrote in a memorandum "that this gave the appearance that the secretary may be using his position for his son's private gain".[199][200] carson's wife, son, and daughter in law also attended official meetings.[199] in february 2018, the hud inspector general's office confirmed that it was looking into the role carson's family played at the department.[201] during congressional testimony in may 2019, while being questioned by u.s. representative katie porter,[202] carson did not know what the term reo ("real estate owned" refers to housing owned by a bank or lending institution post foreclosure) stood for and confused it with the cookie, oreo.[203][204] in response, carson went on the fox business network where he accused democrats of adhering to "saul alinsky" tactics.[205] on march 1, 2020, the office of vice president mike pence announced carson's addition to the white house coronavirus task force.[206] on november 9, 2020, carson tested positive for covid 19 after attending president trump's election night party.[207][208] he initially treated himself with a homeopathic oleander extract on the recommendation of mike lindell, the founder of my pillow, inc., which carson said caused his symptoms to disappear. oleander was previously rejected by the food and drug administration as a treatment for covid 19 and carson received criticism for promoting an unscientific homeopathic treatment.[209][210][211] he disclosed on november 20 that he subsequently became "extremely sick" and attributed his recovery to regeneron's experimental antibody therapy. he said that president trump had given him access to the drug.[212] carson received criticism for spending up to $31,000 on a dining set in his office in late 2017.[213] this expenditure was discovered after helen foster, a career hud official, filed a complaint alleging that she had been demoted from her position because she refused to spend more than the legal $5,000 limit for office redecorations.[214] carson and his spokesman said that he had little or no involvement in the purchase of the dining set. later, email communications revealed that carson and his wife selected the dining set.[215] on march 20, 2018, carson testified before the united states house committee on appropriations that he had "dismissed" himself from the decision to buy the $31,000 dining room set and "left it to my wife, you know, to choose something".[216] on september 12, 2019, hud's inspector general released a report clearing carson of misconduct.[217][218][219] carson was accused by members of the department of housing and urban development of making transphobic remarks at a meeting in san francisco in september 2019. he warned that "big, hairy men" might infiltrate homeless shelters for women, prompting one woman to walk out. reps. joe kennedy iii of massachusetts and jennifer wexton of virginia called for his resignation, but carson said the accusations were a "mischaracterization". a hud spokesperson responded that carson "does not use derogatory language to refer to transgendered individuals. any reporting to the contrary is false."[220][221] in 1994, carson and his wife started the carson scholars fund which awards scholarships to students in grades 4 11 for "academic excellence and humanitarian qualities".[222] recipients of the carson scholars fund receive a $1,000 scholarship towards their college education. it has awarded 6,700 scholarships.[222][223] in recognition for his work with the carson scholars fund and other charitable giving throughout his lifetime, carson was awarded the william e. simon prize for philanthropic leadership in 2005.[224] in 2021, carson founded the american cornerstone institute, or aci, a conservative think tank advancing policies that promote "faith, liberty, community, and life."[225][226] the aci's mission statement is "dedicated to promoting and preserving individual and religious liberty, helping our country's most vulnerable find new hope, and developing methods to decrease the federal government's role in society and to improve efficiency to best serve all our nation's citizens."[227] the american cornerstone institute is a member of the advisory board of project 2025.[228] carson and his wife, fellow detroit native lacena "candy" rustin, met in 1971 as students at yale university and married in 1975.[229] they began living in west friendship, maryland, in 1988.[230] together, the couple have three sons, as well as several grandchildren. their oldest son was born in perth, australia.[231] in 2001, ben and candy carson bought a 48 acre property in upperco, maryland.[232][233] after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, carson underwent a two hour operation at the johns hopkins hospital on august 7, 2002.[234] in 2013, carson, his wife, and carson's mother moved to west palm beach, florida.[235][236] surrounding his confirmation as secretary of housing and urban development, carson bought a $1.22 million home in vienna, virginia, in february 2017 and sold his west palm beach home for over $900,000 in may 2017, after buying a $4.4 million home in nearby palm beach gardens.[237][238][239] he sold his home in virginia in 2020.[237] carson and his wife are members of the seventh day adventist church (sda).[240][241] carson was baptized at burns seventh day adventist church in detroit. a few years later, he told the pastor at a church he was attending in inkster, michigan, that he had not fully understood his first baptism and wanted to be baptized again. he has served as a local elder and sabbath school teacher in the seventh day adventist church and is a member of spencerville seventh day adventist church.[242] although carson is an adventist, the church has officially cautioned church employees to remain politically neutral.[243] in keeping with his seventh day adventist faith, carson announced in 2014 his belief "that the united states will play a big role" in the coming apocalypse. he went on to say, "i hope by that time i'm not around anymore."[244] carson has stated that he does not believe in hell as understood by some christians: "you know, i see god as a very loving individual. and why would he torment somebody forever who only had a life of 60 or 70 or 80 years? even if they were evil. even if they were only evil for 80 years?" this is fully in line with adventist teaching, which promotes annihilationism.[245] carson endorsed seventh day adventist theology, which includes belief in a literal reading of the first chapters of genesis.[246] in a 2013 interview with adventist news network, carson said: "you know, i'm proud of the fact that i believe what god has said, and i've said many times that i'll defend it before anyone. if they want to criticize the fact that i believe in a literal, six day creation, let's have at it because i will poke all kinds of holes in what they believe."[247] carson's adventism was raised as an issue by his then primary rival donald trump.[248] some adventists have argued that carson's political positions on gun rights and religious liberty conflict with historic adventist teachings in favor of nonviolence, pacifism, and the separation of church and state.[243][249] in 1998, carson was invited to give the commencement address at the prominent andrews university, the flagship institution of the seventh day adventist school system. during his speech, carson voiced sympathies for the long discredited belief that the pyramids of giza were built by the biblical figure joseph to store grain.[note 3] when questioned about it again in 2015, carson stood by this assertion.[250][251] consistent with the practice of many adventists, carson was a part time lacto ovo vegetarian (he ate dishes containing milk, eggs, or cheese, but also occasionally poultry).[252][253][254] he has said his main reason for becoming vegetarian was health concerns, including avoiding parasites and heart disease, and he emphasizes the environmental benefits of vegetarianism.[253] his transition was made easier because he had eaten little meat for aesthetic reasons as a child,[253] and he readily adopted his wife's vegetarianism because she does much of the cooking in their household.[253][254] speaking in 1990, he said that with the increasing availability of meat substitutes, "it might take 20 years. but eventually there will no longer be a reason for most people to eat meat. and animals will breathe a sigh of relief."[253] to avoid causing others discomfort, he is willing to occasionally eat chicken or turkey, although he finds eating pork highly unpleasant.[254] in august 2015, carson stated he does "occasionally enjoy a nice steak or a hamburger" and does not "have anything against meat" at a town hall meeting in iowa.[255][256] carson is a member of the american academy of achievement,[257][258] alpha omega alpha honor medical society,[259] and the horatio alger association of distinguished americans.[260] carson has been awarded 38 honorary doctorate degrees and dozens of national merit citations.[261] he is an emeritus fellow of the yale corporation.[262] detroit public schools opened the dr. benjamin carson high school of science and medicine[263] for students interested in pursuing healthcare careers. the school is partnering with detroit receiving hospital and michigan state university.[264]

in new book, retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary emphasises extreme stance at odds even with trump himself in a new book, the retired neurosurgeon, former us housing secretary and potential trump vice presidential pick ben carson calls for a national abortion ban   a posture at odds with most americans and even donald trump himself. hailing the 2022 dobbs v jackson us supreme court ruling that removed the federal right to abortion, carson writes: “we must not stop there … the battle over the lives of unborn children is not yet finished. many states have made abortion illegal because of the dobbs decision, yet the practice continues in many more states. “what is needed is legislation that guarantees the right to life for all american citizens, including those still in the womb. therefore, we must be boldly vocal about saving our fellow human beings through the legislative process. they are counting on us!” carson’s book, the perilous fight: overcoming our culture’s war on the american family, will be published later this month. the guardian obtained a copy. with the book, carson follows other potential trump running mates in seeking to sell himself to the reading and voting public as well as the former president, among them the extremist congresswoman marjorie taylor greene; the former democrat tulsi gabbard; and the south dakota governor and self confessed dog  and goat killer kristi noem. no 2 to trump may be a dubious prize   his vice president, mike pence, ended up running for his life from trump supporters who wanted to hang him on january 6   but contenders continue to jostle. recent reporting suggests carson has slipped from the front rank. on thursday, bloomberg said trump was closely considering doug burgum, the governor of north dakota, and three senators: marco rubio of florida, jd vance of ohio and tim scott of south carolina. but carson, 72, remains close to trump, having challenged him for the republican nomination in 2016   briefly leading the race   before becoming one of the only members of trump’s cabinet to stay throughout his term, even after trump incited the deadly january 6 attack on congress. carson’s hardline views on abortion are well known: during his 2016 run he ran into controversy when he likened abortion to slavery and said he wanted to see the end of roe v wade, the 1973 ruling which safeguarded the federal right. his new book comes nearly two years after roe was brought down by a supreme court to which trump appointed three rightwing justices. carson writes: “i’m grateful that in my lifetime i was able to hear these incredible words established by the supreme court of the united states: “held, the constitution does not confer a right to abortion; roe and casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.” planned parenthood v casey was a 1992 case that upheld roe. thirty years later, tilted 6 3 to the right by trump, the court brought both rulings down. carson continues: “the supreme court’s decision in dobbs v jackson was a crucial correction to the error of roe v wade, and i am certainly grateful for that correction. however, we must not stop there.” many observers suggest republicans should have stopped their attacks on abortion rights before achieving their goal with the fall of roe. sign up to headlines us get the most important us headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion public opinion remains in favour of legal abortion: according to gallup, just 13% of americans agree with carson that it should be banned entirely. since dobbs, fueled by such voter sentiment, democrats have enjoyed electoral victories, even in republican run states, when campaigning on republican threats to women’s reproductive rights. the issue has been placed front and centre of the presidential election to come by the biden campaign. extreme developments among the states have included the introduction of a six week abortion ban in florida and in arizona the triggering (and repeal) of a brutal ban passed in 1864, before statehood and when the age of consent there was just 10. trump has struggled to reconcile boasts about bringing down roe with avoiding talk of a national ban. last month, the former president said: “states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both. whatever they decide must be the law of the land, or in this case the law of the state. “many states will be different, many will have a different number of weeks, some will be more conservative than others. at the end of the day this is all about the will of the people. you must follow your heart, or in many cases your religion or faith. “do what’s right for your family, and do what’s right for yourself.”

recent and archived work by taylor robinson for the new york times we have more than two dozen reporters and visual journalists covering the events in real time. by taylor robinson and john koblin president donald j. trump, over the course of the 2024 campaign and after his election, made big promises to the american people on everything from the economy to foreign policy. here’s what he said he would do with a second term. by michael d. shear and michael gold in the garden state, where the rash of sightings started a month ago, residents are looking to the skies, wondering why they still don’t have definitive answers from officials. by alyce mcfadden and nate schweber in the backing of robert f. kennedy jr., donald j. trump found the kind of name brand validation he covets. but polls suggest mr. kennedy’s supporters didn’t race to the ballot box. by michael c. bender we will have live coverage and analysis from journalists on the ground in about 20 states, along with all of the results. by taylor robinson right wing activists and g.o.p. state lawmakers have questioned the eligibility of some 4,000 people who requested ballots. by alexandra berzon donald trump has won white women, the country’s largest voting bloc, for two elections running. white female democrats are trying to stop that from happening again, but it may be an uphill fight. by erica l. green and ruth fremson the vice president’s tack to the right, support for israel in the gaza war and incremental policy proposals have alienated progressives and raised worries about waning liberal energy. by nicholas nehamas and erica l. green some advisers and allies of former president donald j. trump are concerned about his scattershot style on the campaign trail as he continues to veer off script. by michael c. bender in every battleground state this year, there is at least one third party or independent candidate on the ballot. the democrats have been more openly concerned than republicans. by rebecca davis o’brien and taylor robinson her media swing showed how she often responds to uncomfortable questions by acknowledging them, yet not fully answering them. by michael c. bender senator jd vance of ohio and gov. tim walz of minnesota sparred over immigration, abortion and foreign policy   and then on donald trump’s 2020 election loss. by shane goldmacher and reid j. epstein cbs news will broadcast the 90 minute debate, starting at 9 p.m. eastern on tuesday. the times will stream it alongside real time commentary and analysis from reporters. by taylor robinson we fact checked every sentence of two recent rally speeches and found that mr. trump spoke for almost three times as long as ms. harris, but told more than 10 times as many falsehoods or inaccurate statements. by linda qiu and elena shao all three states began sending out mail ballots on friday and now give people the option of voting in person. by simon j. levien “this is exhausting, and it’s harmful,” kamala harris said during an interview. “and it’s hateful, and grounded in some age old stuff that we should not have the tolerance for.” by erica l. green and nicholas nehamas which states do early voting, and when does it start? by taylor robinson this was featured in live coverage. by nicholas nehamas the vice president on wednesday proposed an increase on the capital gains tax that was far less than what president biden has floated, one of several moves meant to win over business owners. by nicholas nehamas, andrew duehren and reid j. epstein in his cnn interview alongside vice president kamala harris, gov. tim walz of minnesota didn’t field too many questions. when he did, he spoke about his family. by rebecca davis o’brien a history making candidate told grounded stories. democrats expanded their anti trump playbook. and even if something “magical is in the air” for the party, as michelle obama said, there’s a hard road ahead. by shane goldmacher this was featured in live coverage. by maya king completing his transformation into a party leader, mr. walz played up his midwestern roots and his time as a football coach. “it’s the fourth quarter,” he said. “we’re down a field goal.” by katie glueck, nicholas nehamas and reid j. epstein this was featured in live coverage. by nicholas nehamas jonathan braun, whose drug sentence was commuted by donald trump shortly before he left office, was charged on long island, the latest incident to raise questions of how clemency applications were vetted. by michael s. schmidt and maggie haberman as each state delegation was called on, the moment was accompanied by a song. by nick corasaniti, taylor robinson and alyce mcfadden speeches by president biden and hillary clinton symbolized how democrats are moving on from the old guard that has led their party for decades. by nicholas nehamas the vice president will close out the convention on thursday, after four days of high profile appearances by politicians, actors and activists. by taylor robinson abc news will broadcast the 90 minute debate starting at 9 p.m. eastern time on tuesday. the times will stream it alongside real time commentary and analysis from reporters. by neil vigdor lofty condemnations of donald trump have given way to mockery. a tough interview with a top journalist? that can wait. above all, democrats are in a surprising place: on offense. by reid j. epstein and nicholas nehamas in an hourlong exchange with reporters, the former president criticized vice president kamala harris for not doing the same, insulted her intelligence and boasted about the size of his rallies. by maggie haberman, shane goldmacher and jonathan swan the question of whether josh shapiro can deliver the biggest, baddest swing state is complicated. by jess bidgood with vice president kamala harris locking up support, interviews with democratic national committee delegates indicated there was no consensus over whom she should pick as a running mate. by adam nagourney, charlie smart and christine zhang the conspiracy theories about fraud in the 2020 election have largely been absent in prime time. but false claims about elections are still circulating. by alexandra berzon and nick corasaniti the newly anointed republican vice presidential candidate leaned into his impoverished upbringing at the party’s convention, and frequently name dropped the battleground states around his native ohio. by michael c. bender president biden insisted on friday that he would stay in the race. but if he decides to step aside, these individuals will determine who leads the ticket. by nick corasaniti and taylor robinson in a testy, personal clash, president biden failed to ease worries about his age, donald trump forcefully made his case (with wild claims and exaggerations) and the moderators held their fact checking fire. by shane goldmacher and jonathan swan the republican convention will be held in swing state wisconsin’s largest city. the nominee, however, had planned to stay in his own hotel in chicago, before members of the media began inquiring. by michael gold in earlier races for the white house, he pledged to get miners back to work. now, political and economic realities have shifted. by lisa friedman the retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary is a wild card in the vice presidential sweepstakes. his main advantage is that donald trump genuinely likes him. by michael c. bender a false, familiar claim by the former president   that the contest in which he’s participating is “rigged”   has reached a fever pitch in this cycle. by karen yourish and charlie smart third party and independent candidates for president are set to be on the ballot in nearly every state, which could prove consequential in a tight race. by alyce mcfadden, taylor robinson, leanne abraham and rebecca davis o’brien behind the “maelstrom” at a high achieving, racially diverse school in a liberal new jersey suburb. by john leland it is usually an afterthought in politics, but the power of food was made clear this week. by jess bidgood an army of lawyers aims to challenge the steadily advancing ballot access efforts of independent candidates, who democrats fear could peel votes away in swing states. by rebecca davis o’brien more than 100 donors and activists, including a handful who have given six figure sums to president biden, signed a letter arguing that progressive anger could help donald trump. by reid j. epstein did you follow the news this week? take our quiz to see how well you stack up with other times readers. kelly newsome and devin rambo met last year, but their families had long known each other. once they competed in a domino tournament, their romance progressed quickly. by taylor robinson a spy drama based on a decades long manhunt comes to showtime, and a new fx documentary brings back former hillsong pastors to reflect on the church’s scandal. by taylor robinson and kristen bayrakdarian a new series about the woman who hid anne frank and her family premieres on national geographic, and e! streams “the party of the year.” by kristen bayrakdarian and taylor robinson pbs’s literary adaptation series tackles henry fielding’s classic, and the showtime docuseries returns with dr. orna guralnik and a new group of couples. by kristen bayrakdarian and taylor robinson

profile sections local tv featured more from nbc follow nbc news news alerts there are no new alerts at this time president elect donald trump on thursday picked robert f. kennedy jr., an anti vaccine activist who dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed trump, to lead the department of health and human services. trump made the announcement on his social media platform, truth social. "i am thrilled to announce robert f. kennedy jr. as the united states secretary of health and human services (hhs)," he wrote. "for too long, americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to public health." donald trump jr. also shared the news on x. in a post on x, kennedy said, "we have a generational opportunity to bring together the greatest minds in science, medicine, industry, and government to put an end to the chronic disease epidemic." during his presidential campaign, kennedy developed a national profile for his criticism of the covid vaccines and childhood immunizations. he has claimed that vaccines are tied to autism, despite evidence conveyed through studies over decades that have disproven such a claim. the appointment of kennedy, 70, to lead hhs ends days of speculation about what health role   if any   the former independent presidential candidate turned trump adviser would play in the incoming administration. within hhs is a family of health agencies that includes the centers for disease control and prevention, the food and drug administration, the national institutes of health and the centers for medicare and medicaid services. kennedy has claimed trump “promised” him “control of the public health agencies." apart from the hhs role, kennedy was said to have been considered for a role in tackling obesity and diabetes in kids   known as “operation warp speed for childhood chronic disease"   and kennedy himself floated the idea of being a white house "health czar." those roles wouldn't have given him the authority or influence that heading hhs would offer if he is confirmed. kennedy, an environmental lawyer, is known for his misleading and false claims about vaccines, including repeated assertions that vaccines are linked to autism, even though for decades numerous studies across several countries have debunked the association. he also founded children’s health defense, a leading anti vaccine group. other people said to have been considered for the role were ben carson, a retired neurosurgeon and trump's former secretary of housing and urban development, and former louisiana gov. bobby jindal, who once led the state's department of health and hospitals. the position requires senate confirmation. in a statement following trump's announcement, sen. bill cassidy, r la., a physician who is the ranking member on the health, education, labor, and pensions committee, said, “rfk jr. has championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure.” he continued, “i look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro american agenda.” senate finance committee chair ron wyden, d ore., said in a statement, “trump’s health agenda isn’t a secret: worse health care at a higher cost for american families.” he said kennedy's “outlandish views on basic scientific facts are disturbing and should worry all parents who expect schools and other public spaces to be safe for their children." if kennedy is confirmed, his role might spell a major shakeup for the federal health agencies, including the fda, where he has threatened to eliminate entire departments and fire agency employees who wage "war on public health." a former acting director of the cdc, dr. richard besser, was stunned by the announcement. “i’m speechless,” besser said. “to have someone leading the department of health and human services who has been one of the biggest purveyors of misinformation about vaccines, one of the biggest purveyors of misinformation about public health in general, would imperil the health of people across the country.” nbc news reported thursday that some fda staffers were considering quick exits should kennedy be selected for a prominent health role. kennedy has also suggested that he would ban fluoride in drinking water, as well as strip ultra processed foods from u.s. diets. in the first administration, trump tapped former pharmaceutical executive alex azar for the top health agency role. azar replaced the first trump appointed health secretary, tom price, who resigned over his use of private jets for government business, costing u.s. taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. cnbc reported that shares of vaccine makers fell thursday on the reports that kennedy could head the top health agency in the u.s. berkeley lovelace jr. is a health and medical reporter for nbc news. he covers the food and drug administration, with a special focus on covid vaccines, prescription drug pricing and health care. he previously covered the biotech and pharmaceutical industry with cnbc. dasha burns is a correspondent for nbc news. laura strickler is a senior investigative producer and reporter for nbc news. she is based in washington. © 2025 nbcuniversal media, llc

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trump administration the retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary is a wild card in the vice presidential sweepstakes. his main advantage is that donald trump genuinely likes him. by michael c. bender reporting from washington just about the only person who shows any interest in ben carson as the republican vice presidential nominee is the one whose opinion matters the most: donald j. trump. mr. carson, the retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary in mr. trump’s administration, is under consideration as one of “many people that would do a really fantastic job,” the former president told a local new york reporter last month. last week, mr. trump again highlighted the possibility of running with mr. carson, saying on newsmax that he was among “many great people.” and behind closed doors, mr. trump has spoken warmly of mr. carson, reflecting an odd couple political friendship between the belligerent republican leader and the soft spoken doctor who ran against him in 2016. that personal connection, which has deepened over the years, is why mr. carson continues to linger as a potential choice for mr. trump’s running mate even as the race shows signs of narrowing to a few top candidates including doug burgum, marco rubio and j.d. vance. few people close to the former president give mr. carson much chance of being chosen. but given mr. trump’s unconventional approach and history of last minute decisions, a surprise is possible   and in the wide universe of unlikely but he just might do it picks, mr. carson is probably the leading contender.

 camila domonoske ben carson arrives for the presidential inaugural parade in front of the white house on jan. 20. carson was confirmed as housing and urban development secretary on thursday. nicholas kamm/afp/getty images hide caption ben carson arrives for the presidential inaugural parade in front of the white house on jan. 20. carson was confirmed as housing and urban development secretary on thursday. retired neurosurgeon ben carson has been confirmed as the secretary of housing and urban development, by a 58 41 senate vote. six democrats and one independent joined with the republicans to approve the nomination   mostly democrats who are up for re election next year and represent states that voted for president trump, npr's arnie seipel reports. "sen. elizabeth warren of massachusetts, who received blowback from liberals for voting for carson in committee, voted against his nomination today," arnie says. carson was a controversial nominee to lead hud because of his lack of experience in either housing or development   or government in general. before trump announced his selection of carson, an aide told the media that carson wasn't interested in joining the cabinet because he "feels he has no government experience, he's never run a federal agency." but the same aide, armstrong williams, later told npr's rachel martin that carson was qualified to lead hud because of "his life growing up in subsidized housing, growing up in poor communities."