News / Politics

Ben Carson plans to endorse Trump for president on Friday

Friday, 11 March 2016 1:25 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 15 March 2016 3:43 AM ]

Dr. Ben Carson speaks during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2016 at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, outside Washington, March 4, 2016. (AFP photo)

Dr. Ben Carson is planning to endorse Donald Trump for the US presidency on Friday, a major development that will give the Republican frontrunner a significant boost.

Carson, a conservative favorite who last week suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, will join the billionaire at a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida, to make the announcement, according to people familiar the issue.

The endorsement was finalized on Thursday morning when Carson met with Trump at the businessman’s Mar-A-Lago resort in Palm Beach, according to the Washington Post.

Trump and Carson both have homes in West Palm Beach and proved to be friendly contenders throughout the nominating contest.

The retired neurosurgeon’s nod for Trump perhaps will be the most high-profile approval of the real estate mogul’s candidacy since New Jersey Governor Chris Christie backed him last month.

Christie told American voters on February 26 that no one is better prepared to lead the country than Trump.

In an interview with Fox News radio on Thursday, Carson indicated that he is “certainly leaning” toward Trump and spoke highly of him.

“There’s two Donald Trumps. There’s the Donald Trump that you see on television and who gets out in front of big audiences, and there’s the Donald Trump behind the scenes,” he said. “They’re not the same person. One’s very much and entertainer, and one is actually a thinking individual.”

Ben Carson (L) and Donald Trump look on during the Republican Presidential Debate in California, September 16, 2015. (AFP photo)

Notorious for his anti-Islam remarks, Carson briefly led the Republican presidential race but stumbled after months of “staff infighting and strategy shifts,” as put by the Washington Post.

In mid-December 2015, Carson released a policy proposal, calling for a federal investigation into whether the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim advocacy group in the US, has ties to terrorism.

Trump, who has never held elected office, is leading the Republican race and has so far won the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawai, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Vermont.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk