Trump gets crucial endorsement

WASHINGTON—United States Republican frontrunner Donald Trump won the backing on Friday of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, himself a former presidential candidate, in a jolt to one of the wildest primary contests in recent memory.

Christie is one of the first establishment Republicans to endorse Trump in a nominating race where many in the party have been distressed by the billionaire New York businessman’s campaign tactics and policy proposals.

“I’ve gotten to know all the people on that stage and there is none who is better prepared to provide America with the strong leadership that it needs both at home and around the world than Donald Trump,” Christie said at a news conference in Texas.

Trump shared his reaction when Christie notified his campaign: “I said, ‘Wow, this is really important.’”

The endorsement is yet more momentum as Trump moves into the critical Super Tuesday primary elections next week.

The bombastic billionaire’s candidacy has defied all the rules that normally apply in the contest for the highest office in the United States. Trump repeatedly has made politically incorrect statements, used salty language and denigrated Hispanics and Muslims.

Nevertheless, Trump now holds a big lead with 82 delegates. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has 17 and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has 16. A candidate must have 1,237 state delegates to win the Republican nomination.

Trump is known for his frequent use of coarse and profane language.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton had South Carolina mostly to herself a day before the first-in-the-South primary on Saturday, and she’s using it to capitalize on her advantage over her closest rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders with black voters.