Former President Donald Trump made a bold claim this week that he had secured the endorsement of "virtually every" police group and "rank-and-file" support of Teamsters, jabbing at Vice President Kamala Harris' endorsements while doing so.
Throughout the presidential run, Trump has tried to appeal to American workers with pledges to increase domestic manufacturing and industrial employment.
During a speech in Pennsylvania on Monday, the Republican presidential nominee tried talking up his endorsement among union and working groups, attempting to contrast the type of support he received compared to Harris, the Democratic nominee.
Trump called Harris the "candidate of the tax collectors in Washington" after the vice president received the support of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). The NTEU represents federal workers at 35 departments and agencies, including, but not exclusive to, the IRS.
Trump also described his support among police groups and The International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
"It's no wonder that Kamala Harris was just officially endorsed by IRS agents. Do you believe it?" Trump said. "That's when you'd say I'd rather not have that endorsement, but I've been endorsed by virtually every police group in the entire nation.
"Every policeman, almost every sheriff's group, every police group, every, every one of them. We just had one, the Fraternal Order. We just had 400,000 policemen, that's the biggest of all the unions and they endorsed me.
"And this is the first time in decades—just got endorsed by the rank-and-file members of the Teamsters, which I happen to think is amazing."
However, the details behind Trump's claims of support deserve scrutiny.
Police Endorsements for Trump and Harris
Trump has indeed secured endorsements from the National Association of Police Organizations, the International Union of Police Associations and the Fraternal Order of Police, as reported by the Associated Press.
However, Harris has also received endorsement from police representatives and officials, diluting Trump's claim. On the same day as his speech in Pennsylvania, the Police Leaders for Community Safety, described as a "nonpartisan organization of law enforcement leaders from across the nation," endorsed Harris.
"This endorsement reflects Vice President Harris' track record and unwavering commitment to public safety and the rule of law," said the group's chair and former chief of the University of Wisconsin-Madison police, Sue Riseling.
"As police leaders who have led law enforcement agencies and the major national law enforcement leadership groups, we know first-hand what it will take to make our communities safer—and that includes having Kamala Harris as our next president."
The group was formed in June, marking this its first endorsement.
Earlier this month, dozens of law enforcement officials signed a letter declaring support for Harris' presidential run and criticizing Trump.
A group of 101 retired and active police officers, lieutenants, county sheriffs and deputies from across the U.S. endorsed the vice president, saying they believed Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, were "the only candidates we trust to keep our communities safe."
In a letter shared with Newsweek, the law enforcement officials wrote that throughout Harris' career, she has "worked side by side with law enforcement to protect the public and hold offenders accountable."
Karoline Leavitt, Trump campaign national press secretary, told Newsweek:"No one has done more to back the blue than President Donald J. Trump, which is why he has the support of law enforcement officers across the country, including the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police.
"When President Trump is back in the White House, he will put an end to Kamala's crime wave and always back our terrific men and women of law enforcement."
Teamsters Endorse Neither Trump Nor Harris
As for Trump's endorsement among Teamsters, his qualification that he has support among rank-and-file members is crucial and is not an official endorsement.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union comprising about 1.3 million members, declared last week that it would not support Harris or Trump in the presidential election. It marked the first time the union has failed to make an endorsement since 1996, and the first time it has not backed a Democratic presidential candidate since 2000.
Only an hour before the endorsement decision was announced, the union released results from its national poll, conducted between July 24 and September 15, in which 59.6 percent of members voted for the union to endorse Trump, versus only 34 percent for Harris.
Despite this, the union said that after reviewing member polling, and a year of rank-and-file interviews with all major presidential candidates, it said: "The union was left with few commitments on top Teamsters issues from either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris—and found no definitive support among members for either party's nominee.
"The union's extensive member polling showed no majority support for Vice President Harris and no universal support among the membership for President Trump," a statement by the union read.
Trump Campaign Senior Adviser Brian Hughes told Newsweek:As recent member polling from the Teamsters demonstrated, nearly 6 out of every 10 Teamsters support President Trump.
"The rank-and-file of the Teamsters, and all of the nation's working men and women, know that President Trump is the candidate looking out for them."
Harris leads Trump by 1.4 points in Pennsylvania (48.3 percent to 46.8 percent), according to poll aggregator 538. Meanwhile, polling analyst Nate Silver said on Saturday that the vice president has a 57 percent chance of winning the state.
Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 while Joe Biden flipped it back to the Democrats' column in 2020. With its 19 Electoral College votes (down from the 20 it had for the 2020 election), Pennsylvania could be the tipping-point state in November.
Update 9/25/24, 2:29 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
