Trump names Ben Carson for US housing secy

President-elect Donald Trump chose Ben Carson, a former rival for the Republican nomination, on Monday to be secretary of the department of housing and urban development.

But there was still no word on his secretary of state, the nation’s top diplomat who will be Trump’s emissary to the world. Announcing Carson’s nomination Monday, Trump said: “We have talked at length about my urban renewal agenda and our message of economic revival, very much including our inner cities (mostly poor areas dominated by African-Americans”.

“Ben shares my optimism about the future of our country and is part of ensuring that this is a presidency representing all Americans,” the president-elect added Carson, a renowned neurosurgeon, has no experience in housing, and was once a shoo-in for the post of secretary of health and human services, but he took himself off the table saying he had no plans of joining the Trump administration.

Trump has, so far, named his secretaries for treasury, commerce, health, education, defence (semi-officially) and the attorney general, chief of staff and chief strategist. But everyone is waiting now for the big one, secretary of state.

Speculation continues, with new figures joining the list every passing day. A Trump transition team official confirmed on Sunday the list had been expanded.

The expanded list actually has two very avid supporters of strong bilateral ties with India — former Utah governor and 2012 candidate for the Republican presidential nomination Jon Huntsman and congressman Dana Rohrabacher.

Rohrabacher, a member of the House of Representatives from California, has himself claimed to be being considered for the position in a tweet, but Trump transition team don’t think he will go the distance — “possibly deputy secretary of state”, said one.

The congressman used to be a strong supporter of Pakistan and, by definition therefore, a critic of India, but changed overtime, he told this reporter, because of Islamabad’s record on terrorism.