Ben Carson’s national book tour disguised as a presidential campaign came to an end last week, but apparently the book tour rolls on as the good doctor plans his endorsement of one of his former adversaries. Sadly, as we have come to expect, Carson’s move is not one for the good of the conservative movement, but for the good of Carson: He is planning to endorse Donald Trump.

The endorsement, perhaps the most high-profile nod for Trump since New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie backed him, was finalized Thursday morning when Carson met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, the luxury club owned by the Republican front-runner, the people said. The sources requested anonymity to discuss private conversations. Friday’s announcement will also take place at the club in Palm Beach, Fla., where the onetime rivals will appear alongside one another at a news conference. Armstrong Williams, Carson’s business manager, confirmed that the pair met Thursday but declined to comment further. A Trump campaign spokesperson declined to comment about the meeting or a possible endorsement. The support of Carson, a famed retired neurosurgeon and author, will likely give Trump a boost with GOP base voters and evangelicals, who embraced Carson’s campaign in its early days and fueled his brief rise to the top of Republican primary polls.

If this story is true, then it is tremendously sad to see a once-positive icon for conservatism devolve into a man who is interested in the profit of himself and the money-hungry backers who have been feeding themselves off his name since before he announced his run.

It is an absolute shame that building a list to sell is more important to Carson than opposing the man who basically called him a pedophile.

UPDATE: Twitter is amazing and wonderful and this is why.

Ben Carson endorsing Donald Trump is like that moment in Star Wars when Jar Jar Binks nominates Senator Palpatine. — Larry Madill (@larrymadill) March 11, 2016