Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin turned heads last month when she chose to endorse Donald Trump instead of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in the 2016 GOP primary. But she said the decision was a no-brainer.
The former vice presidential candidate’s remarks came as she explained in an interview Monday on “The Today Show” that she wants Cruz, who she supported when he first ran for Congress, to stick around in the United States Senate.
“This was probably a tough call for you between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump,” said NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie.
“It wasn’t tough,” Palin responded.
A somewhat surprised Guthrie pressed for clarification.
“It wasn’t tough,” Palin repeated. “I supported Ted Cruz in his run for Senate there out of Texas. And when I endorsed him he was barely a blip on the radar screen down there in terms of in the polls and what people were perceiving and then at the last minute being able to get in there, hopefully we helped add some momentum to his campaign.
“I support him being there in the Senate to be a fighter for the American people, for our will. I want to keep him in the Senate and I want Donald Trump to be our president,” she added.
Cruz has closed in on Trump in the polls recently, and the two GOP candidates are performing last-minute maneuvers in Iowa to win the first of the 2016 caucus states.
