Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks support of Donald Trump at Republican National Convention
Jul 21, 2016, 5:13 PM | Updated: 9:17 pm
Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Thursday, July 21, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio took the stage at the Republican National Convention Thursday to show his support for Donald Trump.
Arpaio has long been an avid supporter of Trump and his policies, and made it even clearer with his words to the crowd in Cleveland.
“I have spent 55 years in law enforcement,” Arpaio said. “Fifty-five years, I’ve always regarded my work [and] missions critical, but my most important mission has just begun to help elect Donald Trump President of the United States. The stakes are high. We need a strong leader who will stand up for America and put the interests of her citizens first.”
Arpaio went on to say that this country is “more concerned with the rights of illegal aliens” and that the United States shouldn’t have to be concerned with “terrorists coming over our border, infiltrating our communities and causing massive destruction and mayhem.”
Trump, who is well known for his opposition to illegal immigration and his stance that he will build a wall to keep illegal immigrants out of the country, mainly got his support from Arpaio because of exactly that.
“I am supporting Donald Trump because he is a leader,” Arpaio said. “He produces results and is the only candidate for president ready to get tough in order to protect Americans. I have fought on the front line to prevent illegal immigration, and I know Donald Trump will stand with me and other proud Americans to secure our border. Donald Trump will build the wall.”
Arpaio went on to explain about Trump’s care for Arpaio’s wife, Ava, who was diagnosed with cancer recently. Arpaio said he would “never forget” when Trump called his wife minutes before going on national TV, and spoke five minutes with her to offer his support.
This wasn’t the defining reason that Arpaio supports Trump though, as he said that he “was already hooked.”
Arpaio closed by saying, “Let’s elect a leader who will stand up for America and protect our border and support law enforcement and the military, and in doing so, unite our country.
“Lets elect Donald Trump.”
Arpaio’s speech was just one of the more notable things to happen at an eventful convention. On Monday, Melania Trump was accused of plagiarizing some lines from Michelle Obama’s 2008 speech, and Ted Cruz was booed Wednesday at the RNC for refusing to endorse Trump.
