When former president Donald Trump described immigrants accused of committing crimes as 'animals' who are 'not human' in a Michigan speech this week, the phalanx of police standing behind him onstage didn't react.
An endorsement of a political candidate by a police organization is hardly an exceptional moment by itself. Police unions often offer endorsements to candidates; those endorsements have historically been eagerly sought, given the respect afforded law enforcement officials among the general public.
Trump is not a typical candidate. He has promised to deploy law enforcement against his political opponents and repeatedly demanded that protesters with whom he disagrees be dealt with more harshly by police.
Trump's ascent in the 2016 Republican primary was a function of his focus on immigration and carefully leveraged the Republican backlash against the Black Lives Matter movement.
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