ELMHURST, Ill. – Law enforcement group Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may have spoken in three different cities before Monday, but they had one thing in common: They’re in full-on Donald Trump territory.
DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a run for president, toured New York City and the suburbs of Philadelphia and Chicago, lauding policies that have helped Florida, which he said has given law enforcement its Needed.
By taking a pro-police message directly to the rank and file of some of the nation’s largest police unions, DeSantis has been courting a particular electorate Trump has held since he first ran for president in 2016.
DeSantis is sending his messages out to Florida ahead of a possible White House announcement. Next week, his book is to be released, and he will be headlining GOP events in Alabama, California and Texas next month.
Presidential candidates covet the support of the National Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s largest police labor group. The group endorsed Trump in 2016 and again in 2020. An aide said DeSantis had no further plans in the near term to address other police groups, but he is expected to make similar points in speeches going forward.
On Monday, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Elmhurst, less than 20 miles outside Chicago, DeSantis dazzled a crowd of about 250 people, who often cheered and whistled about his statements as enacted in Florida. Were.
Meanwhile, outside the venue and across the street, a group of protesters arrived just before the event began, holding signs such as “It’s okay to say gay” and “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Ron DeSantis Go away”. ,
DeSantis took the audience on a tour of his tough-crime measures, saying he wanted the death penalty for anyone who kills a police officer. DeSantis’ “back to blue” message began with the adoption of law enforcement, which he said was taken for granted.
“If the roads aren’t safe, your economy won’t do well. If people don’t feel safe, you’re not going to have a good education,” he said. “None of this works unless you have a foundation.”
He also blasted states that implemented no-cash bail policies, such as Illinois, as well as Oregon, for the laxity of the system with the rioters in Portland in 2020.
“If you are involved in mob violence in Florida, you will not be treated the same way they are in Portland,” DeSantis said. “In Florida, if you’re doing this, you’re not getting a slap on the wrist, you’re going to be inside a jail cell.”
As if to underscore how close DeSantis had gotten to his precinct by focusing so heavily on law enforcement, Trump released a video Monday offering seven points for reducing crime and “restoring law and order.” The plan was announced. This included “going after radical Marxist prosecutors who are eliminating cash bail, refusing to charge crimes and surrendering our cities to violent criminals.” He also called on the Justice Department to launch a civil rights investigation of prosecutors in Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco “to determine whether they are illegally engaged in race-based enforcement of the law.”
But DeSantis went beyond law enforcement policies in his speech, reeling through a reel of his latest political and legal entanglements, which included wrestling with Disney, firing a prosecutor who refused to enforce laws about abortion, Had refused and was struggling with “awakening education” and “awakening education”. ” of students.
While the room was made up of law enforcement including members of the Chicago FOP, it was made up of state legislators and members of Congress. The crowd of lone politicians was a sign that Republicans were ready to listen to an alternative to Trump.
GOP Representative Darin LaHood, also a former prosecutor, said he has known DeSantis since they overlapped for three years in Congress. DeSantis recently called to invite him to Monday’s event, where LaHood had a speaking role, he said.
“This is about supporting the police and supporting law enforcement. In my view, this is not about 2024,” LaHood said in an interview. “This is to highlight the success they have had in Florida. is about.”
Another Illinois Republican, Darren Bailey, who recently ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor with Trump’s endorsement, said he turned out to support law enforcement and listen to DeSantis’ message.
Bailey said, “I’m excited that someone of this prominence will come — especially here, in this part of the state.” Asked if he thought DeSantis was encroaching on Trump’s turf by showing up in front of FOP groups, Bailey said: “You can read between the lines and you’ll assume that, but I don’t know. I’m glad.” is that he is moving forward the men and women who serve and protect.
The Democratic National Committee responded Monday to DeSantis’ visits to police groups, saying the reform was possible at least in part because of White House-backed funding.
“Actions speak louder than words — and it was President Biden and the Democrats who passed the American Rescue Plan, which funded first responders and law enforcement departments across the country,” DNC spokesman Ammar Moussa said in a statement. Did.” Florida simply does not have the resources to provide to the law enforcement community.”
