Former GOP vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor Sarah Palin endorsed Republican front-runner Donald Trump for president on Tuesday – the highest-profile person to back a Republican contender thus far, reported The New York Times.

Invoking Trump's slogan, Palin asked a cheering crowd at an Ames, Iowa rally, "Are you ready to make America great again? Are you ready to stump for Trump? I'm here to support the next president of the United States - Donald Trump."

"We all have a part in this. We all have a responsibility. Looking around at all of you, you hard working Iowa families, you farm families and teachers and teamsters and cops and cooks, you rock and rollers and holy rollers! You all make the world go around and now our cause is one," said Palin, who was Sen. John McCain's running mate in the 2008 race.

Palin, a favorite of many tea party members and grassroots conservatives, went on to deliver a glowing endorsement of the real estate mogul, praising the fact that Trump's experience is in the private sector rather than in government. He would "kick ISIS' ass" and is "beholden to no one but 'we, the people,'" she said in her 20-minute speech, standing beside Trump.

"He is perfectly positioned to let you make America great again," she added. "No more pussy-footing around."

Trump said in a statement that he was "proud" to receive the support of Palin, a "trusted conservative" with a "proven record of being fiscally modest, staunchly pro-life and [a believer] in small government that allows businesses to grow and prosper."

Palin's support will likely provide a big boost to Trump's campaign in Iowa, where he has been neck and neck with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in a battle to win the Feb. 1 caucuses that are typically flush with conservative evangelical Christian voters, according to ABC News.

Cruz tweeted earlier Tuesday that "Regardless of what [Palin] does in 2016, I will always be a big fan."

Palin and Trump are scheduled to make a joint appearance on Wednesday morning in Tulsa, Okla., according to CNN.

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