Former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin endorses GOP front-runner Donald J. Trump, January 19 in Ames, Iowa. Palin was scheduled to attend a Trump rally in central Florida on Monday, but canceled her appearance due to a serious injury sustained by her husband in Alaska Sunday. File photo by Mike Theiler/UPI |
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THE VILLAGES, Fla., March 14 (UPI) -- Former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin abruptly scrapped a rally appearance for Donald Trump in Florida on Monday, after a serious injury put her husband in the hospital.
Palin was scheduled to make an appearance for the Trump campaign Monday in The Villages, located about 60 miles northwest of Orlando, but canceled after she learned her husband had been involved in a serious snow machine accident in Alaska on Sunday.
"Todd Palin was in a bad snow machine accident last night and is currently hospitalized. Governor Palin is returning to Alaska to be with her husband and looks forward to being back on the campaign trail soon. Mr. Trump's thoughts and prayers are with the Palin family at this time," Trump's campaign said in a statement.
The extent of Todd Palin's injuries were not immediately known, but the former governor said he was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit.
Palin stopped by a town hall event for Trump in Tampa, Fla., officials said, before she returned to Alaska.
During her speech, Palin was not kind to protesters who have been demonstrating at various Trump rallies -- such as those in St. Louis Friday that led to numerous arrests and physical scuffles.
"What we don't have time for is all that petty punk (expletive) little thuggery stuff that's been going on with these quote, unquote protesters who are doing nothing but wasting your time and trying to take away your First Amendment rights -- your rights to assemble peacefully," she said.
During the event, Trump cracked a joke about Palin's husband that came off sounding insensitive to some. He was suggesting that if more people would have been armed in San Bernardino in December, the terrorist attack may have had more survivors.
"If Todd Palin were in that room, frankly, if Sarah Palin were in the room -- forget about Todd, especially now," Trump quipped, seeming to refer to Mr. Palin's hospitalization. "If Sarah Palin were in that room, if somebody were in that room that had a gun of some kind, attached to the hip, attached to the ankle, with bullets that could fly in the opposite direction, you wouldn't have this."
Palin, who ran with Sen. John McCain R-Ariz., on the 2008 Republican presidential ticket, has previously endorsed Trump. She was in central Florida to stump for the businessman before Tuesday's primary.
Monday's was the third time in as many days a Trump event had been interrupted. An event in Chicago was scrapped Friday out of security concerns and a rally scheduled for Miami Monday was also called off.