Former President Donald Trump focused on rising crime and unchecked illegal immigration while in Charlotte Friday to formally accept the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police .
The Republican presidential nominee, speaking at the Hilton Charlotte University Place hotel, accused Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, of presiding over an increase in violence during her time in the White House. He pledged to crack down on gangs, drug cartels and undocumented immigrants accused of crimes if reelected.
“In many ways we’re a third world country,” he said. “… When I am president of the United States, we are not going to take it anymore.”
Fraternal Order of Police National Vice President Joe Gamaldi told The Charlotte Observer Trump’s speech was exactly what FOP members wanted to hear.
“It was refreshing to hear a leader in our country say he wants to fund our police departments,” he said. “We’ve had to suffer through the defund-the-police movement. We’ve had to suffer through the revolving door criminal justice system, and we’ve had to suffer through the worst war on cops that we’ve seen in a generation.”
Data show a more complicated picture of how crime rates have fared during the Biden-Harris administration. Violent crime is decreasing nationwide . But Charlotte’s reported more homicides in 2024, sparking concern among local lawmakers .
Trump repeated other familiar refrains during his nearly hourlong address, including personal attacks on President Joe Biden and insults about the current president’s golf game.
He called a North Carolina appeals court’s Friday decision in Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s suit to be removed from the state’s ballots a victory. That decision, though, means absentee by mail ballots are temporarily halted from being sent to voters. The ballots already have Kennedy’s name on them.
It was Trump’s fourth campaign visit to the state since President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign on July 21. North Carolina is seen as a battleground state, with four recent polls showing Trump leading Harris by just one point.
Below are live updates about Trump’s visit to Charlotte, with the most recent at the top.
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. After listing crimes allegedly committed by undocumented immigrants, Trump said he will “liberate” an America that’s been “taken over“ if reelected.
“They’re taking over,” he said. “… We are being conquered.”
Trump said he supports a mandatory minimum of 20 years for undocumented people who commit certain crimes. He said the immigrants’ home counties will pay for the cost through tariffs and cutting off foreign aid.
Trump said he’ll sign an executive order on day one calling for the elimination of drug cartels. He also claimed he worked out a deal with the Chinese president that China would sentence fentanyl dealers to death.
Trump swings from ‘defund the police’ to golf
5:23 p.m. Trump said Harris endorsed “defunding the police,” and he referencing riots that occurred after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Trump claimed Democrats fear law enforcement.
“They’re afraid of the badge. They’re afraid of you people,” he told the crowd.
He then asked the crowd which nickname they like better, “sleepy Joe” or crooked Joe,” and then criticized President Joe Biden for being photographed so much on the beach.
Trump revisited his brief exchange about golf during his lone debate with Biden during the 2024 election. He joked with the FOP crowd about Biden’s golf game.
Trump talks about crime, homelessness trends
5 p.m. Trump said crime and homelessness are on the rise in major U.S. cities such as San Francisco, Baltimore and New York City.
“In many ways we’re a third world country,” he said. “… When I am president of the United States, we are not going to take it anymore.”
Data show violent crime is decreasing nationwide. But some cities, including Charlotte , have reported more homicides in 2024.
A 2023 report also said that the number of people experiencing homelessness in Mecklenburg County increased by 11% from June 2022 to June 2023.
Trump said if reelected he would launch a national task force targeting gangs and organized crime.
He also said he supports “a strong death penalty for anyone who kills a police officer.”
Trump praises NC appeals court ruling
4:50 p.m. Trump praised a North Carolina Court of Appeals decision in Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s suit to be removed from the state’s ballots. In an order released Friday, the court granted Kennedy’s petition to pause a decision from a lower court on Thursday, which had denied his request to be removed from the ballot.
The court’s decision will force the state to miss its Sept. 6 deadline for sending out absentee ballots. The State Board of Elections has directed county boards of elections not to send out any ballots and hold them until further notice.
The former president touted Kennedy’s endorsement of the Trump campaign and said he expects to pick up votes from his supporters.
“He’s an incredible team player,” Trump said of Kennedy.
Trump repeated his past false claims of voter fraud, saying he will win the election if Republicans can “minimize” Democrats “cheating.”
“They cheat like hell,” he said.
Extensive research shows voter fraud is uncommon in the U.S.
Trump takes the stage
4:42 p.m. Trump started speaking after a standing ovation backed by Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”
He was introduced by Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of the Police. Yoes told the crowd about the organization’s endorsement of Trump and that the former president stood with police when it wasn’t politically advantageous.
Trump started by saying that as the president he would always “back the blue.”
Trump appearance delayed
4:30 p.m. The audience gathered for Trump’s address continued to wait for his arrival.
The former president was scheduled to be introduced at 3:45 p.m. and take the stage at 4 p.m. Those in the ballroom chatted among themselves and listened to an eclectic playlist over the ballroom’s speakers.
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 endorsed Trump for president hours ahead of his speech in Charlotte.
The police labor organization chooses a candidate to endorse based on votes from trustees belonging to each of the 46 state chapters, according to a news release. National trustees cast their votes at the national board meeting, and a candidate wins if they receive two-thirds of the votes.
“During his first term, President Trump made it clear he supported law enforcement and border security,” said Yoes, the FOP national president. “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.”
Trump also received the endorsement in 2016 and 2020.
Democrats put up billboards ahead of Trump visit
Democrats on Thursday launched a billboard campaign and gathered law enforcement officers for a news conference ahead of Trump’s speech to the Fraternal Order of Police.
The billboards will go in six locations around Charlotte. They call Trump a “convicted felon,” highlight the number of police officers injured in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and attempt to tie Trump to the controversial Project 2025.
A New York jury found Trump guilty of 34 charges in May in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election, and he said earlier this year he would “free” people convicted for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack if elected.
The former president and current Republican nominee has tried to distance himself from the “Project 2025 Presidential Transition Plan,” which was developed by the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. But a CNN investigation found nearly 240 people with ties to both Project 2025 and the former president, including at least 140 people who worked in his administration.
Law enforcement officers in the Thursday news conference criticized Trump for his role in the U.S. Capitol insurrection and his numerous felony charges.
“Trump is going to stand in front of the Fraternal Order of Police, the FOP, and lie. He’s going to tell my fellow officers that he’s their ally, he’s their friend, and he’s (the candidate) of law and order,” said Harry Dunn who was a police officer during the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. “Well, after what I experienced on January 6th, I can assure you that he is not.”
Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said his top priority is maintaining safety and security in his community, and Trump will only hinder those efforts. Birkhead also criticized the Trump administration for its proposal to cut millions of dollars in local law enforcement funding in 2021.
I-85 closures planned during Trump visit
Interstate 85 in Charlotte will close for unspecified periods of time between 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m when Trump flies to the city on Friday, police said.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said travel will be affected around Charlotte Douglas International Airport and in north Charlotte and that road closures will happen at varying times.
All traffic will be detoured onto other roads, police said.
“We strongly encourage you to plan ahead and expect significant delays on alternative routes,” CMPD said. “We appreciate your cooperation and patience as we ensure the safety and security of this event.”
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