Poor Joe Arpaio Never Had a Hero Until He Met Donald Trump

Joe Arpaio, the immigrant-hating, concentration camp-loving Arizona Republican candidate running today for his party’s nomination for United States Senate, has a confession to make as an 86 year old man: He’s only now found a “hero” to call his own.

Speaking with NBC’s Kasie Hunt for a segment on Tuesday’s Arizona Republican primary, Arpaio conspicuously avoided answering what might be the stupidest question of this news cycle: Is John McCain a hero?

Instead, here’s what America’s “toughest (convicted criminal) sheriff” had to say:

That’s hard for me to answer. Because I never had a hero in my life until several months ago when I woke up after 75 years and I found my hero. You know who that person is? Donald Trump.

It’s a strange admission for the dedicated racist to make, given the sheer number of bigots and crackpots who’ve graced these United States during the course of Arpaio’s life: Charles Coughlin, George Wallace, Bull Connor, the list goes on and on. But, no, for Arpaio, Trump is the only one man grotesque enough to really be considered a hero. What an honor!

First off, it’s worth pointing out again that Arpaio is 86 years old. So maybe from ages one to 11 his hero was, um… okay, not Superman, a character written as a refugee from another planet. Or Captain America, who is decidedly anti-concentration camp. John Wayne? Maybe a little bit too overtly racist. Let’s just say Batman, okay? Batman.

Regardless, spending the bulk of your life hero-less, only to decide “several months ago” that your hero is a fellow bigot who has the constitutional authority to pardon you for crimes stemming from being extremely racist yourself seems awfully convenient. Especially when you’re running for his party’s nomination for Senate in 2018.