Both of these two things were actually said by a non-candidate who was speculating about her future roles if a particular Republican candidate should will the 2016 presidential election.

While being interviewed on CNN about what cabinet positions she would prefer to hold within a Trump administration, Sarah Palin responded that she would like to be Secretary of Energy because it would be good to have a Secretary of Energy who was in favor of “responsible” energy development that would insure American energy independence—and so if she were Secretary of Energy, she would eliminate the Department of Energy and let the individual states regulate all oil and gas drilling and coal mining.

When Palin was then asked about Trump’s stances on immigration, she praised all of the “wonderful Hispanics who are contributing so much to this country” before adding that if they are not here legally, they need to get out of the country and that if they are here legally, they should want to be as American as everyone else is and a big part of being American is, of course, “speaking American.”

To be fair to Donald Trump, I have never heard him mention Palin as a possible member of his cabinet, never mind specifically as a possible Secretary of Energy.

But I have heard him say that she might be a good choice as a running mate.

I find that strangely reassuring.