Donald Trump remains the Republican frontrunner despite having one of the highest unfavorable ratings of any presidential candidate in history. He’s not getting much help from his top political surrogates, either.
Sarah Palin (The Hapless Has-Been)
The former Alaska governor’s star power has faded in recent years, while the manic ferocity of her stump speeches has skyrocketed. Palin’s formal endorsement of Trump back in January was bizarre, rambling affair that perplexed many, including the Donald himself.
Since then, Trump hasn’t deployed Palin on the trail very often. She did give a speech at a Republican gathering in Milwaukee ahead of the Wisconsin primary earlier this month, but that did not go over so well. Trump lost Wisconsin by double digits.
Trump also fared poorly in the Wyoming Republican convention, netting zero delegates in another sweep for Ted Cruz. According to a Trump campaign press release, Palin was supposed to address the Wyoming convention on behalf the candidate. She never showed up, and blamed the “lamestream media” for the mixup.
Miscommunication pic.twitter.com/yIT0PSh7jK
— Betsy Klein (@betsy_klein) April 17, 2016
Perhaps Palin will fair better in her forthcoming gig as a reality TV judge than she has a Trump surrogate.
Chris Christie (The Hostage)
Poor Chris Christie. His decision to endorse Donald Trump after ending his own candidacy came as a shock to many, not least because of all the times Christie suggested that Trump was unfit to be president.
It’s never a good sign when a surrogate has to clarify whether or not he was being held hostage during a campaign event, but Christie had to after appearing behind Trump with the anguished, dead-eyed stare of a prisoner of war being wheeled out for propaganda purposes. The Internet exploded with memes.
Trump has shown his appreciation for Christie’s endorsement by mocking him to his face on the campaign trail, and by bossing him around like a little boy.
At least Trump lets him ride on the plane. Christie’s burning desire to live like a rock star is well documented, so maybe he’s just in it for the perks.
Ben Carson (The Sleeper Agent)
Ben Carson might be the worst campaign surrogate of all time. His ineptitude has raised legitimate questions as to whether he is actually a GOP establishment operative trying to destroy Trump’s candidacy from the inside.
Carson is the first to admit that, when it comes to endorsing Trump, his heart just isn’t in it. Maybe it has something to do with Trump’s previous suggestions that Carson might be a pedophile with “pathological disease.”
Carson has described Trump as a candidate with “major defects,” such as constant lying. His endorsement was based on “pragmatism” and a lack of viable alternatives.
“Is there another scenario that I would have preferred? Yes. But that scenario isn’t available,” Carson said in an interview with Newsmax TV.
“Are there better people? Probably,” he said in a subsequent radio interview.
Are there better surrogates? Definitely.
