Ben Carson will endorse Donald Trump on Friday at Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, multiple news outlets are reporting.
Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, announced his own departure from the Republican presidential primary contest last Friday during a speech to the annual CPAC meeting.
Carson and Trump were mostly friendly during the campaign, and Trump defended him as a "decent man" after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's staff pulled what Trump termed a dirty trick by telling Iowa caucus-goers Carson was pulling out of the race just before they cast their votes.
Trump at one point in the campaign compared Carson to a child molester, but when asked about the comment recently on CNN, Carson said he wouldn't hold anybody accountable for something said in the heat of the campaign.
Carson's endorsement could be a boost to put the front-runner Trump over the top,
The Hill wrote. Carson's grass-roots supporters may follow him to Trump, and Carson was the only black Republican presidential candidate. His support could help beat back charges he has not been forceful enough in denouncing support from white supremacists such as former Klan leader David Duke, The Hill notes.
Earlier Thursday, Carson told radio host John Gibson he was still undecided between backing Cruz and Trump, though he admitted he was leaning toward Trump.
Carson said Trump has two different personas, and he's seen the one the public doesn't.
"There's two Donald Trumps," Carson said. "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. They're not the same person. One's very much and entertainer, and one is actually a thinking individual."
Carson wrote an op-ed for
The Washington Post on Wednesday speculating whether down-ticket Republicans should embrace Trump or distance themselves.
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