Ms Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice-presidential nominee who flirted with her own White House run and emerged as a conservative icon, endorsed billionaire businessman Donald Trump for president on Tuesday (Jan 19). The endorsement provides Mr. Trump with a potentially significant boost just 13 days before the state’s caucuses.
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She added: “While the media twists and turns words, conservatives who propose action to combat the real threat facing America are demonized while the namby-pamby milquetoast politicians get a pass to go along their unaccountable merry way”. Iowa, which is the first state to vote in the primaries, has strong evangelical and conservative constituencies, among whom Palin’s backing could prove influential. Track Palin was charged with assault, interfering with the report of a domestic violence crime and possessing a weapon while intoxicated in connection with the incident.
Joe Brettell, a Republican strategist in Texas, said he thought Palin would not help Trump much “beyond a jolt in the news cycle”.
Campaigning in New Hampshire, Cruz said, “Regardless of what Sarah intends to do in 2016, I will remain a big, big fan of Sarah Palin”. That necessitated Cruz’s tweet to smooth the waters: “I love [Sarah Palin] Without her support, I wouldn’t be in the Senate”.
She signed on as a Fox News commentator after resigning as Alaska’s governor in 2010, a job she held until past year.
The 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate said she was “proud to endorse” Trump.
Palin is expected to appear alongside Trump at a campaign event at Iowa State University today.
Palin helped launch the careers of several key future leaders of the Republican Party and conservative movement. “She has actually been the only, the only candidate, whether we’re talking Democratic or Republican, to reach out and talk with us about, ‘What can I do?”
“I’m proud to endorse Donald J Trump for president”, Mrs Palin said in a statement on his campaign website.
Cruz brushed off rumors the Palin endorsement earlier on Tuesday, which marks a potential blow to his momentum in Iowa.
She said last month: “What a nice problem to have if it came down to Cruz and Trump”.
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“After hearing what Cruz is now saying about my mom, in a negative knee-jerk reaction, makes me hope my mom does endorse Trump”, Bristol wrote. She also noted that her mom supported Cruz in the past and blasted him for “turning against my mom”. “How rude to that he’s setting up a false narrative about her!” “Getting the idiots to support Trump is only half the battle”, the aide said.
