CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) 鈥� is returning to the battleground state of North Carolina Friday to address a meeting of the Fraternal Order of Police as he tries to portray himself as tougher on crime than his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the campaign's closing months.
Trump is scheduled to address FOP's National Board of Trustees fall meeting in Charlotte. The , the world鈥檚 largest organization of law enforcement officers, endorsed Trump鈥檚 reelection bid in 2020, with its president saying on behalf of its 373,000 members that Trump had 鈥渕ade it crystal clear that he has our backs.鈥�
The imagery of the former president and GOP nominee in a room of law enforcement officers offers Trump the platform to contrast their support with his characterization of Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general whom Trump has called the 鈥渞ingleader鈥� of a 鈥淢arxist attack on law enforcement鈥� across the country.
鈥淜amala Harris will deliver crime, chaos, destruction and death,鈥� Trump , one of many generalizations about an America under Harris. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l see levels of crime that you鈥檝e never seen before. ... I will deliver law, order, safety and peace.鈥�
Harris has showcased her status as a one-time top prosecutor in her home state, regularly saying 鈥淚 know Donald Trump鈥檚 type鈥� after she talks about the 鈥減erpetrators of all kinds鈥� in her former roles.
She鈥檚 had some help with that messaging from two officers who were at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and have become surrogates for the Democratic ticket, with both stumping for her at various events across the country and reflecting on that day.
"Three and a half years later, the fight for democracy still continues,鈥� former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn told a group of voters in Arizona this summer. 鈥淚t still goes on. Donald Trump is still that threat. His deranged, self-centered, obsessive quest for power is the reason violent insurrectionists assaulted my coworkers and I.鈥�
At the Democratic National Convention last month, former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell 鈥� who retired from the force in 2022 due to his injuries sustained that day 鈥� said Trump had 鈥渟ummoned our attackers. ... He betrayed us."
Trump's courting of the support of law officers also butts up against the sympathies that Trump has shown for those who have defied the orders of police, including a pledge to pardon those charged with beating officers during the siege on the Capitol.
Judges and juries considering those cases have heard police officers describe being savagely attacked while defending the building. All told, about 140 officers were injured that day, making it 鈥渓ikely the largest single day mass assault of law enforcement鈥� in American history, Matthew Graves, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has said.
Over 900 people have pleaded guilty to crimes connected to Jan. 6, and approximately 200 others have been convicted at trial. More than 950 people have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds getting time behind bars 鈥� terms ranging from a few days to 22 years.
Trump has long expressed support for the Jan. 6 defendants. During , he stood onstage, his hand raised in salute, as a recorded chorus of prisoners in jail for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack . An announcer asked the crowd to please rise 鈥渇or the horribly and unfairly treated January 6th hostages.鈥�
鈥淭hose J6 warriors, they were warriors, but they were really, more than anything else, they鈥檙e victims of what happened,鈥� Trump said at this summer. He also falsely claimed that police welcomed rioters into the Capitol, saying they told the crowd, 鈥淕o in, go in, go in, go in.鈥�
鈥淲hat a setup that was,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淲hat a horrible, horrible thing.鈥�
The FOP hasn't issued its official endorsement for the 2024 election, but other police groups have already lined up behind Trump. During , Trump in July won the endorsement of the National Organization of Police Organizations, whose leadership lauded his "steadfast and very public support for our men and women on the front lines."
In February, the International Union of Police Associations endorsed Trump, calling his support for officers 鈥渦nmatched.鈥� Last month, he won the backing of the Arizona Police Association, just days after the group endorsed Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego over Trump ally Kari Lake in that state's Senate race.
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Meg Kinnard can be reached at
Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press
