They hitched themselves to this ship that might be going down

On Nicole Wallace’s show Deadline: White House, the Reverend Al Sharpton was talking about Republicans who were standing up for Trump, and then he uttered this malaphor. It is a mashup of “hitch (one’s) wagon to a star” (to pursue a lofty goal for oneself by partnering with someone who is revered) and “desert/leave a sinking ship” (leave a situation where failure is imminent). As the contributor of this malaphor said, Sharpton realized that by saying “ship” instead of “star,” he had to make a quick save.

A tip of the hat to “my ol’ pal” Beatrice Zablocki for hearing this one and sending it in.