The National Fraternal Order of Police, a police union with a membership of around 330,000, has endorsed Donald Trump for President. The group's National President, Chuck Canterbury, issued a statement Friday announcing the endorsement.Â
"Donald Trump...is a proven leader and that's what we need for the next four years—a leader unafraid to make tough choices and see them through," he said. "I look forward to working with the Trump administration on the issues that matter most to law enforcement."
The organization met with Trump back in August. No such meeting with Hillary Clinton occurred because, as the FOP claims, she refused to fill out a questionnaire that the group requires in order to consider a candidate for endorsement. At the time, Canterbury answered "Don't know" when asked if Clinton respected the police.Â
The Washington Post reports that when he filled out the questionnaire, Trump said that "Gun control laws are not the answer to gun violence" and that he would re-allow the transfer of some types military equipment to local police, something that President Obama outlawed last year.
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The National Fraternal Order of Police has not endorsed a Democrat for President in 20 years since Bill Clinton in 1996. They did not endorse a candidate in the 2012 general election after backing John McCain in the primary. Despite that partisan split on the Presidential side, the group has made 77 percent of its 2016 donations to Democrats, according to OpenSecrets.org. The one Republican they donated to was New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte, who has frequently spoken out against Trump.
