TV host Steve Harvey explains his meeting with Donald Trump

TV host Steve Harvey was the latest celebrity to drop in for a meeting at Trump Tower on Friday. And now he's explaining what it was all about.

"Our president (Obama) asked that all of us sit down and talk to one another in order to move our country forward," the host of Family Feud and The Steve Harvey Show noted in a statement posted to Twitter. "The transition teams on both sides asked me to meet and I'm glad I did."

Harvey said that Trump "immediately got (HUD secretary nominee) Dr. Ben Carson on the phone to begin dialog in looking for programs and housing to help our inner cities." He added that the president-elect "seems very open to my mentoring efforts across the country."

He added, "I walked away feeling like I had just talked with a man who genuinely wants to make a difference in this area. I feel that something really great could come out of this."

Harvey's bottom line? "I would sit with him anytime."

View image on Twitter

Steve Harvey ✔ @IAmSteveHarvey

My meeting with @realDonaldTrump ...

10:38 PM - 13 Jan 2017

17,213 17,213 Retweets 34,570 34,570 likes

Harvey, who has been weathering a blowback over racial comments about Asian men on his talk show, told reporters after the meeting, “They're kind of beating me up on the Internet right now for no reason, but that's life, isn’t it?” (That situation is not likely to improve dramatically after Friday's meeting.)

Kanye says he met with Trump to discuss 'multicultural issues'

Meanwhile, Carson appeared before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on Thursday. Like many of Trump's cabinet picks, he's been critical of the agency he hopes to lead.

Carson: Can't promise HUD programs won't benefit Trump

“These government-engineered attempts to legislate racial equality create consequences that often make matters worse," Carson wrote in a 2015 Washington Times op-ed. "There are reasonable ways to use housing policy to enhance the opportunities available to lower-income citizens, but based on the history of failed socialist experiments in this country, entrusting the government to get it right can prove downright dangerous.”

The 65-year-old rose from an impoverished youth in Detroit to attend Yale and the University of Michigan Medical School, lead the pediatric neurosurgery department at John Hopkins University and later contend for the Republican presidential nomination.

After Trump won the election, Carson demurred when initially asked about a possible cabinet post, citing his lack of experience in government or running a federal agency.

When probed by Ohio's Sen. Sherrod Brown, Carson explained,“My philosophy is that we can increase people’s minimum wages by increasing opportunities for them and creating an environment where those opportunities exist rather than artificially trying to change it.”

When Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) asked if Carson could assure her that Trump's real-estate businesses would not profit from HUD projects, he argued, “If there happens to be an extraordinarily good program that’s working for millions of people and it turns out that someone that you’re targeting is going to gain $10 from it, am I going to say ‘no,' the rest of Americans can’t have it?

Steve Harvey: Thought Trump was a 'great guy' Facebook Twitter Google Plus Embed

Steve Harvey: Thought Trump was a 'great guy' 8:00

Some took it as a joke when comedian Steve Harvey walked into Trump Tower, but once he entered the golden elevators and the doors closed people realized it wasn't.

After meeting with Donald Trump, Harvey and president-elect came down to the lobby and shook hands. The comedian and daytime talk show host told reporters it was a "really cool" and "successful" meeting.

The two compared notes on their golf scores, mutual friends, and favorite TV shows. Harvey also met Trump's daughters and was introduced by conference call to Housing and Urban Development nominee Dr. Ben Carson.

"We're going to team up and see if we can bring about some positive change in the inner cities which I felt was my only agenda and he agreed. And he wants to do something," Harvey said. "He realizes he needs some allies in that department, he seemed really sincere about it."

RELATED: Trump 'Thrilled' to Nominate Ben Carson as Housing, Urban Development Secretary

Detroit and Chicago were topics of discussion. Chicago, which is home to the taping of the "Steve Harvey Show" has seen a sharp rise in violence with 762 murders the past year. Harvey hopes to use his influence to change things.

Image: U.S.President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the news media with television personality Steve Harvey (R) and businessman Greg Calhoun after their meeting at Trump Tower in New York

U.S.President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the news media with television personality Steve Harvey (R) and businessman Greg Calhoun after their meeting at Trump Tower in New York, on Jan. 13, 2017. SHANNON STAPLETON / Reuters

"I think it could be the beginning of something, but for them to invite me here to talk about a specific problem and thought that I might be able to help," Harvey said. "I know I got a big radio show, you know, I got a lot of people listening every morning, so I've always been concerned about inner city problems because they're huge."

During the campaign Harvey wasn't shy about his thoughts on Trump, and he endorsed then Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on his radio show. In February of 2016, Harvey told the Daily Beast he endorsed Trump for making the election, "fun to watch, but I'm not endorsing Donald Trump."

"How do you let a dude who was on the cover of Playboy magazine and has been married 18 times be your president? Now come on. Hell, then I qualify," Harvey said at the time.

Harvey joked with reporters Friday that he wouldn't pass a "background check" in politics, and said the idea of the Trumps vs. Clintons on "Family Feud" would be "skyrocketing for the ratings."

When he was asked if he supported the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions for Attorney General, Harvey said, "I don't really like commenting on stuff I don't really understand or know about."

Some on Twitter blasted Harvey for meeting with Trump and didn't think it was funny.