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President Trump said on Saturday he will award Ben Carson, his first-term Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
“We are going to be presenting Dr. Ben Carson with the highest civilian award and honor in our country. It’s the civilian version of the Medal of Honor, which is our highest military award. It’s the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Trump said in remarks at an event hosted by the American Cornerstone Institute, which Carson founded.
Trump said he plans to have a ceremony for Carson at the White House but did not specify timing.
“Congratulations, Ben,” Trump added. “He didn’t know this. He didn’t know it. I hope he’s happy.”
Carson, a former neurosurgeon, ran unsuccessfully for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016 against Trump. The president then tapped him to serve as HUD secretary. Carson served as the national faith chair for the Trump campaign in the 2024 election.
Trump recently said he would posthumously award conservative activist Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom after he was fatally shot on Sept. 10 at an open-air event at Utah Valley University.
Trump also said earlier this month he would award his longtime political ally, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the same honor after he was seriously injured in a car crash.
