Sarah Palin endorses Donald Trump

Palin, whom Republican presidential nominee John McCain picked as his running mate in 2008, announced her support for Trump during a rally late Tuesday afternoon in Ames, Iowa.

Before her endorsement Tuesday evening, Cruz’s campaign spokesman Rick Tyler warned that Palin backing Trump would damage her image as a champion of conservative causes. She claimed that some Republicans were secretly ready to support Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton so they could keep, as she put it, “slurpin’ off the gravy train”.

“I am greatly honored to receive Sarah’s endorsement”, Trump said in a statement announcing the support of the former Alaska governor and former running mate of Sen. She is a friend, and a high quality person whom I have great respect for.

“I love @SarahPalinUSA Without her support, I wouldn’t be in the Senate”.

Read the rest of the story here. “I’d like to see her as vice president”.

But Palin also made the speech an indictment of Trump’s political enemies from both parties.

Senator McCain and Ms Palin lost the 2008 election to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, but by then Ms Palin’s transformation from a little-known politician to a national celebrity was complete. “What the heck would the establishment know about conservatism?”

Donald Trump makes a point as he walks with former governor of Alaska Sarah Palin in New York City as they make their way to a scheduled meeting Tuesday, May 31, 2011.

Cruz faces not only the prospect of Trump basking in the glow of positive publicity from the Palin endorsement but must also deal with the fallout of popular Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s statement this week. “Are you ready for a commander in chief who will let our warriors do their job and go kick ISIS’ arse?!” Glassner worked on Palin’s failed 2008 vice presidential bid and Trump hired him as his political director last July. “Looking at individual-level changes in favorability, we find that 34% of respondents downgraded their evaluations of Palin between September and Election Day, while just 12% became more favorable”.

“I think a lot about the Department of Energy, because energy is my baby, oil and gas and minerals, those things that God has dumped on this part of the earth for mankind’s use, instead of relying on unfriendly foreign nations for us to import their resources”, she said, adding that her ultimate aim would to get rid of the agency. June Heidn, 62, said Palin was “inspiring” and might help Trump appeal to female voters.

GOP consultant Kevin Madden said the endorsement’s timing will help Trump to crowd out Cruz’s message at a crucial time in the race.

“I think I have a great temperament – in fact, if you noticed, I’m the only one that didn’t want to go into Iraq”, Trump said.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump received an endorsement from the daughter of movie star John Wayne. “Scott Brown is absolutely unacceptable to the pro-life movement and should be unacceptable to her”, Dannenfelser said.