‘Mother of MAGA’ Sarah Palin Fumes at Trump Cabinet Snub

Republican U.S. House  candidate former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (L) speaks as former U.S. President Donald Trump (R) looks on during a
Justin Sullivan

As Donald Trump quickly fills out his cabinet and top roles in his administration, Sarah Palin asks: Why not me?

The former vice presidential candidate and governor of Alaska took to social media to share her frustration at not being selected for any role in the Trump administration.

On Sunday, Palin posted “And… another nominee announced!” on her Instagram story. She followed that up with a screenshot of a message a follower had sent her, which said, “What about you?” Palin thanked the fan in her post. She then posted a cryptic selfie with the caption: “Funny how politics work.”

Palin capped it off by posting a rant the same follower tagged her in.

“Currently, President elect Trump has named his secretaries for the VA, Energy, Interior and EPA administrator. Any one of these positions I hoped Sarah Palin would get,” the follower wrote, which Palin posted to Instagram and X.

“Palin was Trump before Trump. I have been saying this for years. Sarah Palin is the Mother of MAGA. Back then [16 years ago], she was the face of the tea party, what would then become the MAGA movement,” the follower wrote.

“It is so shocking to me how in 2017, and now it looks like in 2025, she will not get a seat at the table that she helped set.”

Palin’s name has been notably absent from all short-lists for Trump cabinet picks. In 2016, Trump signaled that he was considering tapping Palin as interior secretary, but that never materialized. Now, Palin’s name isn’t in the conversation at all.

“Big tent, big party, but know your history so America can repeat the good parts,” Palin captioned the follower’s rant.

Palin was once a key figure in the tea party movement, which partially fueled Trump’s first campaign. Palin was one of Trump’s early surrogates, endorsing him just before the Iowa caucuses in 2016 when many Republicans were still against Trump.