Dr. Ben Carson, who was officially confirmed as housing secretary on Thursday, said his goal now is to "focus on the people" and try and keep up with the "energizer bunny" that is President Donald Trump.
The Senate voted 58-41 to confirm the retired neurosurgeon and former Republican presidential candidate's nomination as secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The confirmation comes more than a month after the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs voted unanimously in favor of his nomination.
Carson has received pushback from some critics who question his qualifications to lead a government agency with a budget of $47 million. Many have countered, using his rags-to-riches story and his illustrious medical career as evidence that he's more than cut out for the Cabinet position.
Carson's aide, Armstrong Williams, has consistently assured the American people that Carson "has never lost the human touch with people," despite him now embarking on a new chapter in his life and newfound career in politics, according to NPR.
Carson echoed that message in a Thursday sit-down with Williams to address his social media "family," informing them that the wait is over and that he has been confirmed to lead HUD.
"It was really our social media that compelled our campaign because a lot of the mainstream media wasn't too pleased about the fact that I was running, but it really didn't matter because the people were there," Carson told Williams.
"The things that we're going to be doing are going to focus on the people and what it is that we should be doing for the people as public servants," he added.
When asked about what the American people can do to help make this country great again, Carson made it clear that "this nation was designed for and by the people."
Carson was one of the first Republican candidates in the primaries to come out and publicly endorse Donald Trump, and now he says he's enjoying working beside the president and looks forward to what's ahead.
"Actually, it's quite enjoyable," Carson said of his time working with Trump so far. "He is someone who is extremely encouraging. He's tireless. He's like the energizer bunny. I don't know how he does it, but I'm glad that he does because being the president does require an awful lot of work and an awful lot of sacrifice. He's willing to do that even with so many people aligned against him and being completely unfair. He's a strong man."
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