Sarah Palin won't be at the Republican convention because Alaska is really far from Cleveland

Sarah Palin will be missing from the Republican National Convention next week because Ohio is "a long ways away" from Alaska, Donald Trump has said.

The 2008 running mate to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) endorsed Trump in January, which some predicted by tracking a private plane's flight from Anchorage to Iowa, where Trump was holding a rally. Because that's what planes are for — taking people to places that are far away.

Yet despite such advances in modern transportation, Trump confessed Palin would not be making the trek. "She was asked. It's a little bit difficult because of where she is. We love Sarah. Little bit difficult because of, you know, it's a long ways away," he told The Washington Examiner.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

The fight from Anchorage to Cleveland generally takes about eight hours.