Is Sarah Palin about to endorse Donald Trump?


Donald Trump is teasing a "major announcement" and a "very special guest" at his campaign stop in Iowa later this afternoon, leading to quite a few rumors that Sarah Palin could be endorsing Trump.
Rumors started flying after a charter jet left Anchorage, Alaska on Monday, and landed in Des Moines, Iowa — which raised suspicions that the former Alaska governor was on board. However, according to The Washington Post, it's hardly a sure thing: The Anchorage plane left Des Moines for Tulsa within half an hour, meaning the Iowa stop could have just been a refuel before it reached its final destination.
But if a Palin endorsement is impending, it could be a major blow to Ted Cruz, who Palin backed during his initial bid for the Senate. A Cruz aide told Politico that he would be "deeply disappointed" if Palin indeed backed Trump. On CNN, Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler ranted that if Palin were to throw her weight behind Trump "it'd be a blow to Sarah Palin, because Sarah Palin has been a champion for the conservative cause, and if she was going to endorse Donald Trump, sadly, she would be endorsing someone who's held progressive views all their life on the sanctity of life, on marriage, on partial-birth abortion."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When Gallup last polled about Palin in 2013, only 35 percent of Americans viewed her positively — but an entire 61 percent of Republicans did, making her eventual endorsement all the more interesting.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from
-
Judges order release of 2 high-profile migrants
Speed Read Kilmar Ábrego García is back in the US and Mahmoud Khalil is allowed to go home — for now
-
US assessing bomb damage to Iran nuclear sites
Speed Read Trump claims this weekend's US bombing obliterated Tehran's nuclear program, while JD Vance insists the US is 'not at war with Iran'
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests