Trump Wins 2024 Endorsement From International Union of Police Associations

Former President Donald Trump during a campaign stop in Rochester, N.H., on Jan. 21, 2024. Charles Krupa/AP Photo

The International Union of Police Associations (IUPA) announced on Tuesday that it’s endorsing former President Donald Trump for president in the 2024 election.

In announcing its endorsement, the group called President Trump’s support for law enforcement unparalleled while labeling Democrats and their policies as soft on crime.

“President Trump’s history of support for the men and women of Law Enforcement is unmatched,” IUPA President Sam Cabral said in a Feb. 6 statement. “His policies and actions were directed at improving safety in our communities and the men and women who provide that shield. He has earned and deserves our wholehearted support.”

By contrast, the association’s chief put Democrats and their policies on notice for making the country less safe.

‘He Is The Right Person’: IUPA

Much of the Democrat doctrine “supports defunding the police; favors sanctuary cities, open border, and reduced accountability for criminal behavior,” Mr. Cabral wrote.

“The tragic result is apparent in those cities who have embraced these policies,” he continued, pointing to forced business closures and the “plight that followed.”

“Roving gangs are terrorizing retail businesses, raiding them with absolute impunity, akin to a thousand year past - regressive rather than their own progressive ideology,” he wrote.

“They have not dealt with the consequences of their own failed strategies, while we have all suffered. President Trump has reminded the world of the greatness of this country; he is the right person to continue to make America even greater,” he added.

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One before departing Harlingen, Texas, on Jan. 12, 2021. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

The IUPA endorsement fans hopes among Trump supporters that America’s largest police union, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), will soon follow with its own endorsement.

In 2020, the group endorsed President Trump for re-election, with the FOP saying at the time that he “has shown time after time that he supports our law enforcement officers” and that the union is “proud to endorse a candidate who calls for law and order across the nation.

“During his first four years, President Trump has made it crystal clear that he has our backs,” FOP president Patrick Yoes said in a Sept. 4, 2020, statement.

Similarly, the National Association of Police Officers (NAPO), a coalition of police unions and associations across the country, endorsed President Trump in 2020, saying it recognized his “steadfast and very public support for our men and women on the front lines, especially during this time of unfair and inaccurate opprobrium being directed at our members by so many.”

The NAPO endorsement came in July 2020, when the country was in the grips of protests and riots following the death of George Floyd in police custody, which fueled anti-law enforcement sentiment and calls to defund the police.

It’s unclear whether FOP and NAPO are considering following in IUPA’s footsteps and endorse the former president.

‘Anti-Cop Crusade’

For his part, President Trump has been a vocal supporter of law enforcement, including at a roundtable at the White House in the summer of 2020, when he denounced the “anti-cop crusade” taking place in parts of the country.

“Far-left mayors are escalating the anti-cop crusade, and violent crime is spiraling in their cities,” President Trump said at the time. “It’s all far-left cities where they have no understanding of what has to be done.”

The 45th president said “radical politicians” who want to defund and abolish the police have “defamed our law enforcement heroes as ’the enemy,'” and noted that efforts pushing to defund and abolish law enforcement appears to be happening in “many, many Democrat-run areas.”

NYPD officers stands guard as police try to control protesters during looting after marching against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, N.Y., on June 1, 2020. Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

At the time, President Trump gave the example of Minneapolis, where its city council voted 12–0 to approve plans to submit to voters a proposal to amend the city charter to allow for the police department to be dismantled.

President Trump has repeatedly denounced the “defund the police” movement and last October outlined plans to tackle crime.

In an interview with Just The News, the former president proposed several new crime-busting initiatives, including creating federal stop-and-frisk policies and more legal protections for police officers.

Besides enjoying support from the law enforcement community, President Trump enjoys strong support among lawmakers.

He has racked up 234 noteworthy endorsements from House representatives, senators, and state governors—a figure many times higher than the handful of endorsements given to his sole remaining major GOP presidential rival, Nikki Haley.

President Trump is the frontrunner by far in his bid for the Republican nomination, with 73.5 percent support, compared to 18.8 percent for Ms. Haley, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average.

Taylor Swift Endorsement Rumors

Meanwhile, as President Joe Biden’s approval ratings sit at historic lows, his team is reportedly looking to get some enthusiasm going for his campaign by seeking an endorsement from pop superstar Taylor Swift.

It’s unclear whether Ms. Swift, who boasts over 279 million followers on Instagram and has consistently backed Democrats, plans to endorse President Biden.

She endorsed President Biden in the 2020 presidential election and has expressed unfavorable views of President Trump.

Taylor Swift wears a Kansas City Chiefs jacket featuring Travis Kelce's jersey number as she arrives at an NFL game between the Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 13, 2024. Ed Zurga/AP Photo

While rumors of a Swift endorsement of President Biden have left some Trump supporters concerned, a number of experts told The Epoch Times that such an endorsement would be unlikely to give President Biden all that big of a boost.

Endorsements aside, President Biden’s strategy appears focused on trying to win over independent voters, while seeking to label President Trump and his supporters as “Make America Great Again” extremists and accusing them of being anti-democratic for their calls for vote audits.

President Trump, on the other hand, has called out President Biden for his “disastrous” energy and border policies, saying they undermine U.S. national security, while pegging the president as frail, incompetent, and dishonest.

Mimi Nguyen-Ly contributed to this report.