After seeming reluctant earlier this year to endorse former President Donald Trump for president in 2024, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders finally did so at a Florida rally on Wednesday night at the same time as the televised GOP primary debate.

"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," said Sanders as she introduced Trump in Hialeah, just outside Miami. "That is why tonight, I am so proud to endorse my former boss, my friend, and everybody's favorite president, Donald J. Trump."

"That's because he's not afraid to be an outsider, a change agent, a disruptor," Sanders continued. "He put America first, the first president in a long time to do exactly what he said he was going to do. He's the complete and total opposite of Joe Biden, the corrupt Washington insider."

Sanders was Trump's longest-serving press secretary, famous for her pushback against reporters asking what they thought were "gotcha" questions.

Debate alternative

Trump strongly endorsed Sanders in her governor's race, and now she has returned the favor.

She was asked earlier in the year whether she would endorse Trump, but said "not at this time."

Trump has not attended any of the three GOP primary debates because he is so far ahead of all the other candidates in polls. Instead, he has scheduled some sort of event at the same time as the debate in an attempt to upstage it.

The rally and Sanders' endorsement also served to counter some of the press around Gov. Kim Reynolds' (R-IA) endorsement of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in Iowa, the first state to vote in primaries.

Reaching out

Hialeah has a high Cuban population, so it was a good area of outreach for Trump.

"Nobody ever did more for Americans who love Cuba than a gentleman named Donald J. Trump when he was president," he said during the rally.

"Just like the Cuban regime, the Biden regime is trying to put their political opponents in jail, shutting down free speech, taking bribes and kickbacks to enrich themselves, and they're very spoiled children," he continued.

Trump has had a busy week; he testified at a $250 million civil trial on Monday, followed by other members of his family who had dealings with the Trump Organization.

Despite the civil trial and four indictments, Trump has gained even more support in recent polls and stands 50 points ahead of his challengers as primaries are just a few months away.

It doesn't seem like anything can stand in Trump's way.