1st LD: Former presidential rival Carson endorses Trump in U.S. election

Former U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson on Friday announced his endorsement for Donald Trump, a move that could boost the GOP front-runner's support among conservatives and evangelicals amid desperate efforts by the party establishment to derail Trump.

Calling Trump "a very intelligent man who cares deeply about America," the retired neurosurgeon said at a press conference at Trump's lavish luxurious Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that his endorsement was a result of "more alignment spiritually (with Trump)" that he ever would have thought.

"There are two different Donald Trumps," said Carson. "The one you see on the stage and the one who is very cerebral. That's the Donald Trump you're going to start seeing someone right now."

Despite his recent self-description as a party "unifier," Trump had since the outset of his candidacy been criticized for his blunt and sometimes even incendiary remarks about Latino immigrants and Muslims, and had recently got himself into controversy after reluctantly disavowing support from a former leader of the white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan.

In fear that Trump being the party's presidential nominee would cause irreparable damage to the GOP, Republican political and business leaders had recently been attempting to halt his momentum by public denouncing and negative TV ad attacks.

Carson, a former GOP candidate also with a outsider status, warned on Friday that it was "extremely dangerous" for party establishment to attempt to "thwart the will of the people." Endit