(National Fraternal Order of Police Press Release, September 6, 2024)
FOP Endorses Trump!
Nation’s Oldest and Largest Police Labor Organization Will Support Trump on Election Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police,
announced today that the members of the FOP voted to endorse Donald J. Trump for
President of the United States.
“Public safety and border security will be important issues in the last months of this
campaign,” Yoes said. “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.”
The FOP’s endorsement process is unique in that every member has the opportunity,
through our 46 State Lodges, to make their choice known to the National Trustee. Once
informed by the membership as to their choice, the National Trustee casts his or her
vote at our National Board meeting. In order to secure our endorsement, the candidate
needs the support of two-thirds of the State Lodges, a benchmark former President
Trump easily cleared.
“During his first term, President Trump made it clear he supported law enforcement and
border security,” Yoes said. “In the summer of 2020, he stood with us when very few
would. 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.”
Though this election was highly unusual, the FOP considered the two 2024 presidential
candidates’ records—including President Trump’s responses to the FOP’s
questionnaire, as well as a letter from the Harris-Walz campaign describing some of
their positions on criminal justice and police labor issues. An FOP committee met
personally with former President Trump, but no similar meeting was granted by the
Harris-Walz campaign. This information was provided to the more than 377,000
members of the FOP so they could make their own decision in this election.
“As the nation’s oldest and largest law enforcement labor organization, the FOP’s
presidential endorsement is one of the most sought-after endorsements by candidates
running for the presidency,” Yoes said. “The FOP is the number one voice of America’s
law enforcement. We have a responsibility to our members, to the 800,000 sworn law
enforcement officers in the United States, and to the communities they serve to do our
part in determining the direction in which our country will head.”
In every election cycle, the FOP pays close attention to which presidential campaign
highlights the issues most vital to the men and women of the FOP, including the
challenges faced by the rank-and-file law enforcement officers, the real issues in public
safety, and the problems in our criminal justice system. The FOP has endorsed
candidates—from both parties—that our members believe have made the men and
women of law enforcement a priority: George H. W. Bush (1992); William J. Clinton
(1996); George W. Bush (2000, 2004); John S. McCain III (2008); Donald J. Trump
(2016, 2020). In 2012, the FOP voted not to endorse a candidate.
“The National FOP endorsed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. He led our nation
through some very tough times,” Yoes said. “He provided our nation with strong,
effective leadership during his first term, and now that he is seeking election to a second
term, we intend to help him win it.”
Founded in 1915, the Fraternal Order of Police is the largest law enforcement labor organization in the United States, with more than 377,000 members. With national offices in Nashville, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C., the FOP is committed to improving the working conditions of law enforcement officers and the safety of those served through education, legislation, information, community involvement, and employee representation. Please visit https://www.fop.net for more information.
