President-Elect Trump Wants to Add 2 More Evangelicals to His Administration

Well, it’s official: President-elect Donald Trump has offered the position of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to Dr. Ben Carson.

While the retired neurosurgeon doesn’t have any experience inside Washington, D.C., outside of his own 2016 presidential campaign, as an African-American who was born and raised in Detroit, he has experience where it matters when it comes to HUD. He also played an instrumental role in crafting the president-elect’s urban revitalization agenda.

Carson is close to accepting the appointment, FOX News reported Tuesday night. While on “Your World With Neil Cavuto,” he said it was one of several Cabinet positions he has been offered, and that he would consider them over the Thanksgiving holiday before making a decision.

But it’s well-known the HUD position is one Carson has a lot of interest in.

“Our inner cities are in terrible shape,” Carson said. “And they definitely need some real attention. There have been so many promises made over the last several decades and nothing has been done, so it certainly is something that has been a long-term interest of mine.”

Wednesday morning, the Presidential Transition Team also announced that South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has been offered the position of ambassador to the United Nations. She is currently the youngest serving governor in the U.S., and is the daughter of Indian immigrants.

While her parents raised her as a Sikh, she converted to Christianity, which she described in her book, Can’t Isn’t an Option. During the Republican response to the State of the Union Address in January, she gave an impassioned defense of Israel and a harsh rebuke of President Barack Obama’s Middle East policies.

The Presidential Transition Team issued the following statement:

President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) as the United States permanent representative to the United Nations, a cabinet-level position in the Trump-Pence administration.

Gov. Haley is one of the most universally respected governors in the country. After working at her family’s business, Gov. Haley turned her focus to economic development and has traveled abroad to negotiate with international companies on behalf of South Carolina. As governor, she has led seven overseas trade missions and successfully attracted jobs and investment through negotiations with foreign companies.

“Gov. Haley has a proven track record of bringing people together regardless of background or party affiliation to move critical policies forward for the betterment of her state and our country,” said President-elect Trump. “She is also a proven dealmaker, and we look to be making plenty of deals. She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage.”

“Our country faces enormous challenges here at home and internationally, and I am honored that the president-elect has asked me to join his team and serve the country we love as the next ambassador to the United Nations,” said Gov. Haley.

Born in Bamberg, South Carolina, the daughter of Indian immigrants, Gov. Haley became the first female governor of her home state in 2011 and is currently the youngest governor in the country. Prior to becoming governor, she represented Lexington County in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011.

A true fiscal conservative and savvy businesswoman, Gov. Haley’s leadership drove down South Carolina’s unemployment to a 15-year low by adding more than 82,000 jobs in each of South Carolina’s 46 counties.

Prior to dedicating her life to public service, Gov. Haley worked at her family business. In 1998, Gov. Haley was named to the board of directors of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce and named to the board of directors of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce in 2003. She also became treasurer of the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2003 and president in 2004.

Governor Haley is a proud graduate of Clemson University, where she earned a degree in accounting. Governor Haley and her husband, Michael, a captain in the Army National Guard and combat veteran who was deployed to Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, have two children, Rena, 18, and Nalin, 15.