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| Ben Carson confirms backing for Donald Trump for US presidency | Ben Carson confirms backing for Donald Trump for US presidency |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Former Republican hopeful Ben Carson has confirmed his support for his former rival and front-runner Donald Trump in the US presidential race. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | |
| Analysis: Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Miami | |
| 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. | |
| Republican debate: Civility breaks out | |
| Obama: 'Don't blame me for Trump' | |
| Who are the Muslims supporting Trump? | |
| "I have found in talking with him, that there's a lot more alignment, philosophically and spiritually, than I ever thought that there was," Mr Carson said of his former rival. | "I have found in talking with him, that there's a lot more alignment, philosophically and spiritually, than I ever thought that there was," Mr Carson said of his former rival. |
| "Donald Trump talks a lot about making America great. It's not just talk, he means it." | |
| Asked about insults that the two candidates had thrown at each other in the early stages of the campaign, Mr Carson said they had "buried the hatchet". | |
| "That was political stuff," he said. "That happens in American politics." | |
| Meanwhile Mr Trump explained why he had targeted his competitor. | |
| "The one person who just kept sneaking up on me, I could not lose him, is Dr Ben Carson," Mr Trump said. "I fought back, and I hit him hard, which is politics, and he understands that." | |
| Mr Carson's endorsement follows a debate in Miami on Thursday night between Mr Trump and his remaining rivals Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich. | |
| Mr Trump, a billionaire businessman from New York with no political experience, has dominated the state primary contests so far. | Mr Trump, a billionaire businessman from New York with no political experience, has dominated the state primary contests so far. |
| More contests next Tuesday in five states, including Florida and Ohio, could extend Mr Trump's lead and determine whether Mr Rubio and Mr Kasich can continue in the race. | |
| The next votes | |
| 15 March: Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio Primaries | |
| 22 March: Arizona Primary, Utah Caucuses, Idaho Caucuses (Democratic) | |
| 26 March: Alaska, Hawaii, Washington Caucuses (Democratic) | |
| 1 April: North Dakota Caucuses (Republican) | |
| 5 April: Wisconsin Primary | |
| 9 April: Wyoming Caucuses (Democratic) | |
| 19 April: New York Primary |