Ben Carson said he will not serve as surgeon general during President-elect Trump’s second term, dispelling reports he was being considered for a top health role.
Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development during Trump’s first administration, said he plans to speak with Trump soon about his future.
“I am excited to speak with President Trump about how I will continue to advance the America First agenda, and I am meeting with him in the near future,” Carson said in a post on the social platform X. “However, contrary to reports, I will not be serving as the Surgeon General.”
Carson was rumored to be under consideration to be tapped as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He was a major surrogate of Trump during the campaign and gave a speech at the Republican National Convention praising Trump after the assassination attempt in July.
But Trump last week instead picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the former independent candidate for president who dropped out in August and threw his considerable support behind Trump.
Prior to the announcement, Trump transition chair Howard Lutnick told CNN Kennedy was not going to get the HHS job.
Surgeon general is not a Cabinet-level position, so it doesn’t require Senate confirmation. Current Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is in his second term in the position, having previously served in the Obama administration.
The surgeon general is a public health advocate, but each person’s approach to the position varies.
Murthy, for instance, has pushed for warning labels on social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok, and said social media can be detrimental to youth mental health. In June, he released his most political report to date, declaring firearm violence a public health crisis.
