Dr. Ben Carson has landed a gig in another Trump administration.
On Wednesday, the former Housing and Urban Development Secretary and neurosurgeon joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a senior nutrition and housing adviser.
He will work alongside USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to advance HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, and is expected to help shape the country’s dietary guidelines.
“There is no one more qualified than Dr. Carson to advise on policies that improve Americans’ everyday quality of life, from nutrition to healthcare quality to ensuring families have a roof over their heads,” said Rollins said in a press release.
Carson contracted COVID-19 in Nov. 2020 and claimed an FDA-rejected therapeutic extract called oleandrin, which he took at the recommendation of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, cured him.
“Through common-sense policymaking, we have an opportunity to give our most vulnerable families the tools they need to flourish,” said Carson.
Carson will be involved in shaping Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP), which provide food benefits to low-income families. He will likely respond to state requests to exclude junk food from SNAP benefits, and is on record as being against SNAP offering allowances for junk food.
Carson ran for the Republican nomination in the 2016 election before bowing out of the race in March 2016. He then was appointed to HUD secretary, where he had a widely criticized tenure.
In an infamous 2018 congressional hearing, Carson did not know what an “REO” (Real Estate Owned property) was, asking Rep. Katie Porter if she was saying “Oreo.” The exchange brought criticism on Carson for not knowing basic housing terminology as the HUD secretary.
After the first Trump administration ended, Carson stayed in the Republican orbit. In 2021, he founded the American Cornerstone Institute, a conservative think tank devoted to religious liberty. Trump appointed Carson the Vice Chairman of the Religious Liberty Commission in May 2025. In September, Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
On Sunday, Carson spoke at the Charlie Kirk Memorial extravaganza in Arizona.
