Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump has moved swiftly to remove the stench created by Australian Senator Cory Bernardi's endorsement, saying he had no prior knowledge of the South Australian's backing.
"I have standards," Mr Trump said in a carefully-worded statement today. "This is not the type of company I want to keep – I have an image to maintain here. People are free to make endorsements, but that doesn't mean I have to accept them".
The Trump camp is acutely aware that an association with someone as ridiculous as Cory Bernardi is not a good look. At this late stage in the campaign, image-management is everything.
Political commentator John Scotchmore said candidates were often judged by the people they associated with.
"Trump supporters are willing to go along with some pretty crazy ideas, but there are limits," he said, adding it was a 'smart move' by Trump HQ to move so decisively on the matter.
This story first appeared at The Shovel.
