International News

OXON HILL, United States, (APP/AFP) –
Donald Trump backed out Friday from appearing at a prominent conservative conference, after plumbing new depths of vulgarity in the latest US presidential debate, to the despair of the Republican Party.
Trump said he was scrapping a scheduled appearance Saturday at the
Conservative Political Action Conference so he could attend rallies in Kansas, which holds its Republican caucus that day, and then Florida, which votes March 15.
Organizers of the event near Washington said they were “very
disappointed” at the frontrunner’s “last-minute” cancellation.
“His choice sends a clear message to conservatives,” CPAC said on
Twitter.
Meanwhile the retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson formally announced he
was suspending his own presidential bid, days after saying he did not see a
political path forward in the 2016 race.
“Even though I might be leaving the campaign trail — there’s a lot
of people who love me, they just won’t vote for me — I will still be heavily involved in trying to save our nation,” he told CPAC.
The 1,000 or so attendees collectively rose to their feet for a
standing ovation.
The soft-spoken Carson, who was the only African-American in the
race, bowed out of Thursday’s showdown, avoiding the abusive bickering that dominated the evening.