Trump, who was in Charlotte on Friday to officially accept the Fraternal Order of Police’s support, talked about rising crime and unchecked illegal immigration.
While speaking at the Hilton Charlotte University Place hotel, the Republican presidential nominee said that Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, was to blame for more violence while she was in the White House. If he won again, he promised to crack down on gangs, drug groups, and illegal immigrants who are accused of crimes.
He said, “We’re a third-world country in a lot of ways.” “… There will be no more putting up with it when I am president of the United States.
Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police Joe Gamaldi told The Charlotte Observer that Trump’s speech was exactly what FOP members wanted to hear.
“It was nice to hear a leader in our country say that he wants to give money to our police,” he said. “The movement to cut police budgets was hard for us to go through. We’ve had to deal with a criminal justice system that changes hands all the time and the worst war on police in a generation.
The numbers paint a more complicated picture of how crime rates have changed under Biden and Harris. Across the country, violent crime is going down. But Charlotte had more murders in 2024, which made politicians in the area worried.
During his almost-hour-long speech, Trump also said things that people have heard before, like insulting President Obama’s golf game and making personal comments on Vice President Joe Biden.
He said that the decision made by a North Carolina appeals court on Friday in Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s case to be taken off the state’s ballots was a win. Because of that decision, however, voters will not be able to get their absentee votes by mail for now. Kennedy’s name is already on the ballots.
This was Trump’s fourth trip to the state since President Joe Biden stopped running for re-election on July 21. Four new polls show that Trump is only one point ahead of Harris in North Carolina, which is seen as a key swing state.
The newest news about Trump’s trip to Charlotte is at the top of this list.
Speech ends
5:34 p.m. Trump spoke for a little less than an hour on a range of topics. He left the stage to the song “YMCA” by the Village People and chants of “Trump.”
Trump on mandatory minimum sentences
5:32 p.m. Trump said that if he is re-elected, he will “liberate” an America that has been “taken over” after listing crimes that he says illegal immigrants have done.
He said, “They’re taking over.” “They are taking over.”
Trump said that he wants illegal people who commit certain crimes to have to serve at least 20 years in prison. He said that the cost would be covered by taxes and by not giving money to other countries.
Trump said that on the first day in office, he will sign an order to get rid of drug gangs. Plus, he said that he made a deal with the Chinese president so that China would kill people who sell fentanyl.
Trump swings from ‘defund the police’ to golf
5:23 p.m. Trump said Harris supported “defunding the police.” He was talking about the riots that happened after George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis in 2020. Trump said that Democrats are afraid of the police.
“The badge scares them.” “They’re scared of you,” he told the crowd.
Then he asked the crowd which nickname they liked better: “crooked Joe” or “sleepy Joe.” He then said bad things about President Joe Biden for being shot so much on the beach.
In the only debate Trump had with Biden in 2024, he brought up their short conversation about golf again. He made fun of Biden’s golf game with the FOP crowd.
Trump talks about crime, homelessness trends
Trump praises NC appeals court ruling
4:50 p.m. Trump was happy with the North Carolina Court of Appeals’ ruling in Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s case to have his name taken off of the state’s ballots. In an order released Friday, the court agreed to Kennedy’s request to put on hold a decision made by a lower court on Thursday that had turned down his request to be taken off the vote.
Because of what the court said, the state will miss its deadline of September 6 to send out absentee votes. County boards of elections have been told by the State Board of Elections not to give out any ballots and to keep them until further notice.
The former president told his fans that Kennedy had backed Trump’s campaign and that he expected them to vote for him.
Trump said of Kennedy, “He’s a great team player.”
Trump said that he will win the race if Republicans can “minimize” Democrats’ “cheating,” which is another lie he has told before.
He said, “They cheat like hell.”
A lot of study has shown that voter fraud is not common in the U.S.
Trump takes the stage
4:42 p.m. Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” played in the background as people stood and cheered for Trump.
Patrick Yoes, who is the national head of the Fraternal Order of Police, introduced him. Yoes told the crowd that the group supported Trump and that the former president sided with cops even when it wasn’t politically smart to do so.
Trump began by saying that he would always “back the blue” as president.
Quiet atmosphere at university-area venue
2:33 p.m. It was uncharacteristically quiet outside the venue for Trump’s speech about two hours before the former president was scheduled to arrive.
Trump’s rallies often feature a tailgate-like atmosphere outside, with attendees sitting for hours in lawn chairs and vendors selling T-shirts, hats and other merchandise. But only media and security milled about outside the Hilton Charlotte University Place Friday afternoon.
A lone “Trump-Vance” sign flew at the entrance to the hotel property. Inside the hotel lobby, law enforcement officers mingled.
Melanie Lanier, a FOP trustee from Alabama, said she was excited to hear Trump speak about immigration and the economy.
Lanier said Trump is a better ally than Harris to law enforcement officers and she is excited to vote for him in November.
“The most important for us is not taxing social security,” she said. “I could not in good conscience vote for the other one.”
FOP endorses Donald Trump
2:02 p.m. The FOP officially backed Trump for president a few hours before he spoke in Charlotte.
A news release says that the police labor group picks a candidate to support based on the votes of trustees from each of the 46 state chapters. Trustees from across the country vote at the national board meeting. A candidate wins if they get two-thirds of the votes.
“During his first term, President Trump made it clear that he supported law enforcement and border security,” Yoes, who is president of the FOP, said. “He stood with us in the summer of 2020 when not many others would have.” We beat the “defund the police” movement with his help, and now crime rates are finally going down. We need to re-elect Donald Trump if we want to keep the crime numbers low.
This was also said about Trump in 2016 and 2020.
I-85 closures planned during Trump visit
At some point between 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, when Trump flies to Charlotte, cops say Interstate 85 will be closed for an unknown amount of time.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said that there will be delays in traffic near Charlotte Douglas International Airport and in north Charlotte, and that roads will be closed at different times.
Police said that all cars will be sent to other roads.
“We strongly urge you to plan ahead, and please be aware that alternative routes will have significant delays,” CMPD said. “Thank you for your help and patience while we make sure this event is safe and secure.”