Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) formally endorsed former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign on Wednesday night right as the third Republican debate began.
Sanders, who served as press secretary in the Trump administration, joined Trump at a rally in Hialeah, Florida, which he held as counter-programming to the Miami debate 11 miles away. Sanders took the stage ahead of the 45th president’s remarks and said, “Our country has never needed Donald Trump more than we do right now.”
Arkansas Governor @SarahHuckabee endorses Donald J. Trump for President! pic.twitter.com/pFtM8PH1yF
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 9, 2023
“The truth is, it’s not even a question anymore between right and left; it is normal versus crazy, and the left is doubling down on crazy.” Huckabee Sanders said.
“We’ve got out-of-control inflation, violent crime, an open border, a rising China. Biden and the left have failed over and over again, and they know it, and you know it, and it is time for a change,” she added before endorsing Trump.
“That is why tonight I am so proud to endorse my former boss, my friend, and everybody’s favorite president, Donald J. Trump,” she said to cheers from thousands. “Think back to four years ago. Our economy was booming, gas was cheap, homes were affordable, people were thriving.”
She pointed to Trump’s three Supreme Court appointments that were instrumental in overturning Roe v. Wade, his “hardline” stance toward China, the energy independence achieved under his administration, and his progress on both a border wall and “rebuilding the military.”
“Our enemies actually feared us, and our people loved us,” she said. “President Trump made us great, and I know that he will do it again. That’s because he’s not afraid to be an outsider, a change agent, a disrupter. He put America first.”
She also recalled a moment she shared with the 45th president when she faced vicious attacks from the left and media as press secretary on her “appearance, [her character], and even [her] fitness as a mother.”
“I will never forget the time that President Trump pulled me aside, looked me straight in the eye, and said, ‘Sarah, you’re tough, you’re beautiful, and you’re good at your job. That’s why they attack you. Never let them get you down,’” she recalled Trump saying.
“Then, in true Trump fashion, he popped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Okay, now get back to work,’” she added, drawing laughs. Earlier, she touted her status as being a proud conservative and the first woman governor of Arkansas.
On Monday, NBC News first reported her plans to endorse Trump at the Wednesday rally.
