The Fraternal Order of Police in Chicago endorsed President Trump for reelection.
“I will do whatever I can for him — clearly,” the FOP president of the local chapter, John Catanzara, told the Chicago Tribune of Trump. “I hope he makes a somewhat local appearance — that he doesn’t think Illinois is a lost cause and will just kind of mail it in.”
The police union’s board voted to endorse Trump last week, which is an overall reflection of how the union’s members feel about the president, though Catanzara said some in Democrat-controlled Chicago won’t be happy with the decision.
“But there’s definitely people who are not going to be happy about it. There are more Democrats, locally speaking, but there’s even some Democrats who would agree that the current president has been very good for employment and law enforcement these days,” he said.
The National Fraternal Order of Police endorsed the president earlier this summer, so have other police unions in places such as New York and Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware.
“Public safety will undoubtedly be a main focus for voters in this year’s election,” FOP President Patrick Yoes said earlier this month. “Look at what the national discourse has focused on for the last six months. President Trump has shown time after time that he supports our law enforcement officers and understands the issues our members face every day.”
Trump has campaigned on a platform of “law and order” since riots have spread across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death and other black Americans who have been shot or have died during interactions with police.
“In the strongest possible terms, the Republican Party condemns the rioting, looting, arson, and violence we have seen in Democrat-run cities, all, like Kenosha, Minneapolis, Portland, Chicago, and New York, many others, Democrat-run,” Trump said during the Republican National Convention last month.
“We must always have law and order. All federal crimes are being investigated, prosecuted, and punished to the fullest extent of the law. When the anarchists started ripping down our statues and monuments, right outside, I signed an order immediately. Ten years in prison, and it was a miracle, it all stopped. No more statues,” he added.
