Sarah Palin was in rare form when she delivered her latest pro-Trump speech to the Western Conservative Summit in Denver, Colorado last week.
The former Alaska governor and Republican Vice Presidential candidate always gives an unforgettable performance and exceeds expectations, especially if you’re expecting soapboxing that falls somewhere between a Pentecostal preacher and a Dr. Seuss character. She is, after all, an entertainer at her core — a smart woman with quippy lines and cute glasses. Every Palin speech is a journey, brimming with charismatically delivered one-liners and contrived rhymes that invoke a cocktail of emotions, embarrassment, glee and actual, physical pain.
The WCS speech was certainly no exception. Palin gifted those in attendance with such gorgeously crafted lines as “It’s really funny to me to see the ‘splodey heads keep ‘sploding over this movement” in her luscious South Central-Alaska accent. There were a few other gems tucked away in those 25 minutes of heavily bronzed smugness, almost too much to unpack. But try we must:
5. “Never Hashtag [inaudible]”
Palin’s took umbrage with Trump’s critics, especially those on the right, whom she called “profiles in pudding” who “fret over ideological impurity.”
“Those GOPers that say they’ll never vote for their party’s choice this time. They call themselves — that gang — they call themselves the ‘never…hashtag… [inaudible].’ I just call them ‘Republicans Against Trump’ or ‘RAT’ for short.”
When the crowd had a mixed response – some attendees loudly booing the joke – Palin did what she does best, she doubled-down:
“I shouldn’t call them ‘thumbsuckers’ because they’re not all bad.” Then, without pausing, she added: “I’m kidding! They are.”
4. “It’s why [Trump’s] rallies are all about winning. They’re rowdy, and they’re fun, and they’re energizing.”
It’s not clear whether Palin was talking about the time when Trump supporters sucker-punched a guy in the face, or when Trump’s rally in Chicago was shut down because of riots, or when supporters were attacked in San Jose by unruly protesters. Palin describes the average Trump rally like it’s a NSYNC reunion tour after-party, not a carnival sideshow where teen girls who fight with grown men are pepper-sprayed in the face.
3. “Men in denim built this country, but DC suits and pantsuits destroy it.”
This is a strange claim in support of a man who once said, “Part of the beauty of me is I’m very rich.” And it would have been more palatable had Palin not delivered it while rocking a blazer and a blowout that likely cost more than all of the groceries you can cram into the back of a Suburban.
Palin continued trying to sell Trump as a working-man’s man: “We found a messenger! And he wasn’t found among the politicians insisting they be elected and re-elected lest they have to come home and join us peasants.”
Palin has an estimated net worth of $12 million. She recently put her second home in Arizona on the market for $2.6 million, and her speaking fee is about $100,000 a pop. Meanwhile, Trump claims to have a net worth of $10 billion and is so insecure about being seen as less wealthy that he has a habit of threatening to sue those who suggest otherwise. If these two ex-reality show stars are discussing the plights of the working class, they’re not speaking from experience.
2. “Trump was never called a racist until he decided to run against the Democrats.”
What’s disappointing about this statement isn’t just that it’s wrong, but that it’s so easily proven wrong. A quick Google search uncovers a plethora of recorded times when Trump was accused of being a racist, including in 2002, when he was a registered Democrat.
In 1973, Trump Management, Inc, the real estate company Donald ran with his father, Fred, was accused of violating the Fair Housing Act by rejecting applications for apartment units based on race. The Justice Department filed a civil case that went on for two years before it was dropped under the condition that the Trumps “thoroughly acquaint themselves personally” with the Fair Housing Act.
One of Trump’s own casino executives accused him of making racist comments in a 1991 book titled Trumped! The Nation accused Trump of racism in 2011, and so did David Letterman.
If you’re going to lie to prove a point, lie better.
1.“Vote for me! I never make sense, and I’ll never have to explain myself.”
Palin seemed to be mocking Hillary, but if this line had fit onto a trucker hat, it would have been a winning Trump/Palin campaign slogan. Even though she was in the public eye long before this election cycle, Palin is the perfect Trump surrogate: savvy, difficult to follow, and never off-message. She skims over gaffes, mispronunciations and forgotten words, completely unfazed by her own contradictions or negative reactions from the crown. She’s energetic; she’s unwavering, and, apparently, she’s not going anywhere.
Brooke A. Rogers is a contributor to Heat Street
