Ben Carson Has 'Buried the Hatchet,' Endorsed Donald Trump

Ben Carson today endorsed Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner for President, reports CNN.

Carson made the announcement Friday, with Trump by his side, speaking at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla. At the press conference in Florida, Carson called Trump "a very intelligent man who cares deeply about America," reports ABC News.

Trump also confirmed the endorsement during last night's debate in Miami.

Carson's support of Trump comes despite the insults Trump sent his way during the campaign. The billionaire businessman called the retired neurosurgeon "low-energy," said voters would be fools to support Carson, and even claimed he found Carson reminiscent of a child molester.

But on Friday, Carson seemed willing to let bygones be bygones, saying of he and Trump, "We buried the hatchet."

Trump echoed the amiable tone, saying that despite his previous critiques of Carson, "He's become a friend, and I really appreciate the endorsement."

Trump alluded to a potential spot for Carson in a President Trump administration. "Ben's going to have a big, big part," said Trump. "Maybe Ben doesn't know this yet, but Ben's going to have a big part. We want to keep that kind of talent."

Carson indicated that he was likely to endorse the Republican front-runner on Thursday speaking on Fox News Radio, the Washington Post reported. "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 an entertainer, and one is actually a thinking individual."

Carson is well known for his anti-LGBT views, including his staunch opposition to marriage equality, his description of transgender people as "abnormal," and his "joke" that a baker who disapproves of equal marriage rights might put poison in a same-sex couple's wedding cake. Trump has directed his most inflammatory rhetoric at Muslims and undocumented immigrants, but he has promised to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn the marriage equality ruling and expressed support for "license to discriminate" laws.

Carson's post-campaign gig is chairing a group called My Faith Votes, aimed at getting evangelical Christians to the polls.

Watch the full Carson-Trump press conference below, via PBS.

This story is developing. Check back for details.