Former Republican hopeful Ben Carson has confirmed his support for his former rival and front-runner Donald Trump in the US presidential race.
He made the endorsement at a joint news conference in Florida with Mr Trump, ahead of primaries there on Tuesday.
The winner of the Republican nomination will face Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders for the Democrats, in November.
Mr Carson is the second former candidate to endorse Mr Trump after New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
A retired neurosurgeon, Mr Carson was an early favourite but dropped out last week after failing to gain significant popular support.
The endorsement came a day after an elderly white man was charged with assault for allegedly punching a young protester during a rally for Mr Trump in North Carolina on Wednesday.
There are two sure-fire ways to draw Donald Trump’s ire. The first is to directly criticise the New Yorker. The second is to pose a threat to his success.
Ben Carson never did the former but for a few weeks last autumn he challenged Mr Trump in Iowa polls and was rewarded with a full dose of the real estate mogul’s derision.
Bygones, however, seem to be bygones. Now the retired neurosurgeon is endorsing the man who once compared him to a child molester.
A Trump-Carson alliance should not come as much of a surprise, however. Both candidates tapped into the desire among disenchanted conservative voters to find a candidate outside the traditional political world. Both offered sharp critiques of the Republican “establishment”.
Mr Carson still has a loyal following, particularly among evangelical voters, and he could be a valuable asset to Mr Trump on the campaign trail as the New Yorker looks to secure the Republican nomination in the weeks ahead.BBC
