Former Republican Rival Carson Backs Trump

Former Republican candidate Ben Carson has endorsed onetime rival Donald Trump, ahead of what could be the decisive week in the party's presidential nomination race.

The retired neurosurgeon joined Mr Trump in a news conference on Friday morning at the real estate tycoon's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Mr Carson said: "I've come to know Donald Trump over the last few years. He is actually a very intelligent man who cares deeply about America.

"There's two different Donald Trumps. There's the one you see on the stage and there's the one who's very cerebral."

He said he had "buried the hatchet" with the real estate magnate over their scathing campaign clashes.

Mr Trump, 69, mentioned during Thursday night's televised Republican debate that Mr Carson would be backing him.

Mr Carson halted his own White House campaign last week after failing to win a single primary contest, though he remains popular with evangelical voters.

Mr Carson, 64, briefly leapfrogged Mr Trump in opinion polls earlier in the Republican campaign.

But voters deserted him after a series of missteps and following vicious attacks by Mr Trump on his character, accusing him of lying about his autobiography.

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Source: http://news.sky.com/ By Sky News US Team Photo: Sky News