(AP) - President Donald Trump said Saturday that he will award Ben Carson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, the third such award he’s announced this month.

“Congratulations, Ben. He didn’t know this,” Trump said in a speech during an event at Mount Vernon for American Cornerstone Institute, founded by Carson. “He didn’t know it. I hope he’s happy.”

Dr. Ben Carson speaks at a rally for Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Concord, N.C., Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

A former neurosurgeon who ran against Trump for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, Carson, 74, went on to serve as Housing and Urban Development secretary during Trump’s first administration.

The one-time rivals developed a stron

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