Former President Donald Trump picked up the support of Florida’s largest police union on Thursday.
In July, the Florida Police Benevolent Association endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
However, DeSantis exited the race in January, so the union is now backing Trump.
PBA President John Kazanjian announced the endorsement in a letter to the former president that was shared with Fox News.
“It’s no secret that over the past four years, under the current administration, America has regressed,” Kazanjian wrote in the letter, which was dated March 11.
“Law enforcement officers are leaving their jobs in record numbers throughout this country, crime is rising in our major cities, and over 8 million migrants have entered this country, putting a heavy and untenable strain on the ability of local municipalities to effectively maintain public safety and provide essential services to the citizens of this country,” he said.
Kazanjian said Trump’s policies had been a bulwark to protect society from criminals, and those policies need to be in force once again.
“This November, America is once again at a critical juncture,” he wrote. “The choice we make in electing the next president of the United States will have a lasting impact on our nation for generations to come. And for us, the choice is crystal clear.
“On behalf of the 30,000 members of Florida’s largest law enforcement union, the Florida PBA is proud to once again endorse you for president of the United States,” he wrote.
The union president concluded by saying, “Moving forward, we will ask all of our 30,000 members, their friends and family, and all Floridians, who love and respect law enforcement, to cast their ballots in support of President Donald J. Trump.
"Together, we’ll make America great again.”
Trump has made addressing crime a cornerstone of his campaign.
In a February speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference, he warned of “hoards of illegal aliens stampeding across our borders” and said “the gangs will be invading your territory,” according to The Associated Press.
In a recent speech in Dayton, Ohio, the GOP candidate warned that illegal immigrants and crime go together and blamed President Joe Biden for increasing both.
“Now we have a new form of crime. I call it Biden migrant crime, but it’s too long. So let’s just call it migrant crime. We have a new category. You have vicious crimes, you have violent crimes, you have all these, now we have migrant crimes — and they’re rough. They’re rough, and it’s going to double up,” Trump said.
“And you see what’s happening. Throughout the world right now, I don’t know if you know this, crime is way, way down,” the former president said. “You know why? They sent us their criminals. That’s why.
“It’s true. It’s true. They sent — do you know Venezuela is down 66 percent because they sent us their gang members and their gangsters? They sent us their drug dealers and their murderers.”
“And all over the world, crime is down because they’ve sent them to the United States of America because we have a stupid president that allows this to happen. Stupid,” he said.
During his speech, Trump said he would support police officers.
“We will restore law and order to our country, and I’m going to indemnify all police officers and law enforcement officials throughout the United States to protect them from being destroyed by the radical left for taking strong action on crime,” he said.
via westernjournal