Ballot Boxing: Ben Carson endorses Donald Trump

Welcome to Ballot Boxing, WORLD’s political roundup of news and views from the presidential campaign trail.

In one of the more surreal moments of the 2016 presidential campaign, former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson endorsed Donald Trump for the GOP nomination Friday morning.

At a press conference in Palm Beach, Fla., the retired neurosurgeon shook hands with billionaire businessman and told reporters “there are two different Donald Trumps”: the public image and the one who “considers things carefully.”

Trump responded, “That’s probably true.” But then he quickly changed his mind: “I don’t think there are two Donald Trumps. I think there is one Donald Trump.”

Carson’s endorsement comes a week after he dropped out of a race where he once nearly tied Trump for front-runner status. Carson criticized Republican efforts to stop Trump’s rise, saying “the voice of the people” should be heard.

The public side of Trump once compared Carson to a child molester. Riffing off Carson’s account of overcoming “pathological anger” during his teenage years, Trump told CNN on Nov. 12 that you can’t cure pathological conditions: “… as an example, child molesting. You don’t cure these people. You don’t cure a child molester. … Pathological, there’s no cure for that.”

At Friday’s press conference, Carson said he and Trump had “buried the hatchet” on past spats.

In recent days, Trump has repeatedly bashed Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for an incident during the Iowa caucuses when Cruz precinct leaders told caucus-goers Carson was dropping out of the race. Cruz apologized for the episode and said campaign workers made a mistake after watching a confusing report on CNN.

Either way, at the time, Carson accused Cruz’s campaign of “dirty tricks,” and said, “By their fruit you will know them.” Trump continues to tell the story during campaign rallies, as Cruz remains less than 100 delegates behind Trump in a nomination contest that’s still plenty competitive.

Meanwhile, it’s unclear what Carson makes of the fruit of Trump’s life. For example, Carson once told a reporter that the only woman he had ever slept with was his wife. Trump, in his book Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life,bragged about his promiscuity and sexual encounters with married women.

Trump’s willingness to use vulgar language in public settings, including campaign rallies, is also a stark contrast to the Proverbs-quoting Carson. The retired surgeon has said one of his favorite Bible verses is Proverbs 22:4: “By humility and fear of the LORD, are riches and honor and life.”

But Carson, who mostly stayed above the fray in a lowbrow political season, said he prayed about the decision to endorse Trump, and that he found more spiritual and philosophical alignment with Trump than he expected.

Time will tell if former Carson backers will throw their support behind Trump, but the real estate mogul told reporters that having Carson’s endorsement “just adds total credence to what I’m trying to do.”

Meanwhile, Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida continue campaign stops in states headed to the polls next Tuesday. It’s a make-or-break day for Rubio, as the senator badly needs to win his home state to make a credible case to stay in the nominating contest.

At a rally at a church in Kannapolis, N.C., on Tuesday, Cruz tried to woo Rubio supporters, telling voters, “If we’re divided we lose” to Trump.

Cruz also criticized Trump for asking voters at rallies to raise their hands and swear to vote for him. He said that’s something kings require of their subjects.

I was at the Trump rally in Concord, N.C., on Monday afternoon when Trump asked voters to “take the pledge.” Without hesitation, a large swath of the crowd raised their right hands high in the air and repeated after him: “I swear to vote for Donald Trump …”

Most of the crowd laughed, but the words “I swear” rang in my ears long after the rally was over.