Former President Donald Trump received a significant boost to his 2024 presidential campaign on Friday, securing the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the nation’s largest police union.
The endorsement came during a meeting of the FOP’s national board of trustees in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Trump addressed the gathering and outlined his law enforcement policies for a potential second term.
“Public safety and border security will be important issues in the last months of this campaign. Our members carefully considered the positions of the candidates on the issues and there was no doubt—zero doubt—as to who they want as our President for the next four years: Donald J. Trump,” FOP National President Patrick Yoes said when he announced the endorsement.
“During his first term, President Trump made it clear he supported law enforcement and border security. In the summer of 2020, he stood with us when very few would,” Yoes said. “With his help, we defeated the ‘defund the police’ movement and, finally, we are seeing crime rates decrease.”
“If we want to maintain these lower crime rates, we must re-elect Donald Trump.”
Trump called the endorsement “an honor” and pledged his continued support for law enforcement.
“With your help, we will restore public safety to our streets, we will bring back law and order to our nation, and we will give the heroes in blue the power to legally protect us and the respect that you deserve, more than any other group of people,” Trump said.
The former president outlined several policy proposals, including strengthening police immunity, reintroducing practices like stop and frisk, and implementing tougher sentences for certain crimes.
“We might over-fund the police,” Trump joked, and sharply criticized Harris by labeling her a “defunder” of police.
“She was a defunder. She was a ten year defunder. When you, when you want to defend for ten years, that’s the end of that one,” he stated. “Under the Harris regime, 99% of law abiding citizens suffer while criminals run free and our country is plagued into literally third world conditions.”
The endorsement event also touched on other political issues.
Trump urged officers to be vigilant about potential voter fraud during the upcoming early voting period in North Carolina, saying, “I hope you watch for voter fraud. It starts early. It starts in a week. …. Believe it or not, they’re afraid of that badge. They’re afraid of you people. I hope you can watch.”
As the 2024 presidential race heats up, this endorsement from the FOP, which represents over 375,000 members, signals strong support for Trump from the law enforcement community.