Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson announced Wednesday that he is launching a conservative think tank to “engage with local governments and work with communities to find solutions to our nation’s problems.”
“The American Cornerstone Institute will be dedicated to creating dialogue and smart discourse,” Carson said in a RealClearPolitics op-ed announcing his project. “ACI will focus on promoting and preserving individual and religious liberty, helping our country’s most vulnerable find new hope, and developing methods to maximize government’s efficiency and effectiveness to best serve all our nation’s citizens.”
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Carson said the American Cornerstone Institute will focus on a “diverse set of issues,” including addressing homelessness, affordability and crime in American cities, holding leaders in Washington, D.C., accountable and renewing a focus on education.
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson speaks during a briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on March 21, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
“The Bible says, if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand,” he said. “There have been many calls to heal the divide that has polarized our great nation. The American Cornerstone Institute will be a leader and part of the solution. Our goal is simple: heal, inspire, and revive America.”
Carson served in former President Donald Trump’s Cabinet from 2017 to 2021. In 2016, he unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for president.
But long before he entered the political arena, Carson was an acclaimed neurosurgeon whose story of rising from an impoverished upbringing to a medical innovator captured the attention of many.
Carson is not the only member of Trumpworld announcing new ventures in order to stay relevant after President Biden assumed office. Like Carson, Trump’s former Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought announced a think tank in January.
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In addition, Trump’s former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley recently launched a political action committee to support conservative candidates ahead of the 2022 election cycle.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
