Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has been maintaining a low profile, but there was no avoiding the limelight Wednesday after getting stuck in an elevator.
Carson is on a national listening tour and was touring a Miami housing project with former NBA star Alonzo Mourning — who arrived 15 minutes late, sparing himself the same fate.
Alonzo Mourning and police wait for fire dept to arrive . Sec. Ben Carson is stuck in the elevator iat the Courtside Family Apartments pic.twitter.com/vySNZLNgD3
— Rene Rodriguez (@RodriguezRene) April 12, 2017
Miami-Dade fire rescue was called and had to pry open the elevator’s jammed doors to free the Trump administration official.
After approximately 20 minutes, a relieved Secretary Carson emerged with a smile:
20 minutes later @SecretaryCarson is freed from stuck elevator at Courtside Morning Apts. Alonzo Mourning looks more relieved than anyone pic.twitter.com/umbTyGkNau
— Rene Rodriguez (@RodriguezRene) April 12, 2017
With plenty of media on hand, the drama was all captured on video:
Critics pounced at the chance to hit the administration for proposed cuts to HUD’s budget.
@ReneMiamiHerald @MiamiHerald .@SecretaryCarson this is one of the many reasons why HUD does NOT need budget cuts! Funding matters…
— Daniella Pierre (@Daniella4Change) April 12, 2017
And on an otherwise slow news day, the incident was enough to get Carson’s name trending on social media… though in a mocking fashion!
Here are a few of the responses from Twitter:
@ReneMiamiHerald Happy to know he’s finally awake. Slept through the first 100 days of the Trump administration.
— Anirvan Ghosh (@anirvanghosh) April 12, 2017
@ReneMiamiHerald By “stuck” do you mean the elevator is malfunctioning, or he can’t figure out how to leave?
— Cyndi B (@spintheiryarns) April 12, 2017
@ReneMiamiHerald Police: Just press the button, its not brain sur…
Dr Carson: .…— Louise Burton (@LouiseBurton) April 12, 2017
@ReneMiamiHerald Push the button, Ben.
— maggie_twit (@maggie_twit) April 12, 2017
@ReneMiamiHerald @CroxfordRc @SecretaryCarson I’m still laughing, schadenfreude!
— Barbara Ringel (@lovespolitics) April 12, 2017
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