Ben Carson declines role in Trump administration because he 'feels he has no government experience'
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Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a top ally of President-elect Donald Trump, is not interested in serving as the secretary of health and human services, The Hill reported Tuesday.
Armstrong Williams, Carson's business manager and confidant, told The Hill that Carson won't join the administration and will instead be an unofficial adviser.
It was reported earlier Tuesday that Carson had been offered the position of HHS secretary.
"Dr. Carson was never offered a specific position, but everything was open to him," Williams told The Hill. "Dr. Carson feels he has no government experience; he's never run a federal agency. The last thing he would want to do was take a position that could cripple the presidency."
Despite having no government experience, Carson, like Trump, attempted a run at the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 cycle. At one point last October, Carson was the front-runner in the polls.
Carson was also rumored to be in consideration for secretary of education in a Trump administration.
During an interview with Business Insider just before the election, Carson said, "I don't want to be a part of the administration."
"Not that I have anything against it," he said. "Just that I think my voice will actually be more valuable outside the administration. There are so many issues that affect our country right now, and we can't lose sight of them. So winning the election is really just step one."
"I'll continue to write, continue to speak publicly, and work on helping to focus us as a nation on what's really important," he said.