Today, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson addressed department staff, where he delivered a speech full of vague, banal platitudes.

At one point, Carson described the dreams held by immigrants who came to America, where he eventually referred to slaves as “immigrants” who worked “even harder for less” but still had big dreams for this country.

“There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less, but they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters, might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land,” he said.