As Donald Trump fills out the roster for his upcoming administration, Sarah Palin is seething over her exclusion from key cabinet positions, taking to social media to express her frustration. Once an influential figure in the conservative movement, Palin feels betrayed by the man she helped propel to power, venting that the political system often leaves those who helped build it on the outside looking in.
On Sunday, Palin shared her discontent with followers on Instagram. The former governor of Alaska posted, “And… another nominee announced!” followed by a screenshot of a message from a fan asking, “What about you?” She replied to the fan, thanking them for the support before sharing a cryptic selfie with the caption: “Funny how politics work.”
The remark, paired with her expression, seemed to suggest that Palin’s omission from the list of Trump’s cabinet selections was no accident, but rather a bitter reminder of how quickly political allegiances can shift.
Palin’s frustration didn’t stop there. She reposted a lengthy rant from the same follower, who questioned how Trump could overlook Palin, a key figure in the rise of the MAGA movement, when filling top roles. The follower wrote, “Currently, President-elect Trump has named his secretaries for the VA, Energy, Interior, and EPA. Any one of these positions, I hoped Sarah Palin would get.”
The post continued with a strong defense of Palin’s influence: “Palin was Trump before Trump. I have been saying this for years. Sarah Palin is the Mother of MAGA. Back then, she was the face of the Tea Party, which became the MAGA movement. It’s so shocking to me how, in 2017 and now in 2025, she still won’t get a seat at the table she helped set.”
Palin shared the fan’s words on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), adding her own commentary: “Big tent, big party, but know your history so America can repeat the good parts.”
Big tent, big party, but know your history so America can repeat the good parts: https://t.co/cNzS5AbTLp pic.twitter.com/yx28cfKquD
— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) November 17, 2024
The tone was unmistakable: Palin felt snubbed by the very movement she helped inspire and support. Back in 2016, she was one of Trump’s most vocal and influential backers, endorsing him just before the Iowa caucuses when many establishment Republicans were still wary of the outsider businessman. Palin’s endorsement was seen as a critical moment in cementing Trump’s populist appeal.
Despite her early loyalty to Trump, her name has been conspicuously absent from all the short lists for top cabinet positions as Trump moves forward with his second term. In 2016, there were rumors that Trump considered tapping Palin for Secretary of the Interior—a position that would have been a fitting role for the former governor, who had championed Alaska’s natural resources and been an outspoken critic of federal land policies. But that appointment never materialized, and now, in 2024, Palin is left to wonder if her place in the Trump-era GOP is a thing of the past.
Her absence from the Trump administration is particularly striking given how closely aligned her political rise was with Trump’s. Palin, once a tea party icon, played a crucial role in shaping the populist, anti-establishment rhetoric that Trump would later capitalize on in his campaigns. She was also one of the first high-profile figures to endorse Trump in 2016, helping to legitimize his candidacy among skeptical Republicans.
Yet, despite her deep ties to the movement that helped elect Trump, Palin now finds herself on the sidelines. “Funny how politics work,” she said, suggesting that the same forces that brought Trump to power have left her behind.
