Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump responded to his endorsement from the National Border Patrol Council saying he will “never let them down.” Trump pledged he would make certain every Border Patrol agent had the resources, tools, and support they need to protect the United States and stop the influx of drugs, gangs, and cartel violence.
Trump’s comments came after he received the endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) on Wednesday.
The Council has a long-standing practice of not making political endorsements.
NBPC President Brandon Judd added, “We will not, however, shy away from voicing our opinions as it pertains to border security and the men and women of the United States Border Patrol. As such, we are breaking with our past practice and giving our first-ever endorsement in a presidential primary.” His comments were reported by Breitbart Texas Managing Director Brandon Darby, and Ildefonso Ortiz on Wednesday morning.
“Unlike his opponents,” Judd continued, “Donald Trump is not a career politician, he is an outsider who has created thousands of jobs, pledged to bring about aggressive pro-American change, and who is completely independent of special interests. We don’t need a person who has the perfect Washington-approved tone, and certainly NOT another establishment politician in the W.H. Indeed, the fact that people are more upset about Mr. Trump’s tone than about the destruction wrought by open borders tells us everything we need to know about the corruption in Washington.”
The endorsement by the NBPC came just days after a senior policy adviser for Trump made clear that future U.S. border security policy would be largely determined by actual agents of the U.S. Border Patrol, not by politically-appointed bureaucrats in the Border Patrol or its parent agency, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Breitbart Texas reported.
Trump responded to the agents saying, “I am deeply grateful for this extraordinary and historic endorsement from America’s Border Patrol Agents, and especially honored that they would break with their past precedent of not endorsing in presidential primaries in order to endorse my candidacy. This endorsement represents a total rejection of the corrupt politicians who have allowed transnational gangs and cartels to terrorize American communities.”
The following is Trump’s entire statement:
I am deeply grateful for this extraordinary and historic endorsement from America’s Border Patrol Agents, and especially honored that they would break with their past precedent of not endorsing in presidential primaries in order to endorse my candidacy. This endorsement represents a total rejection of the corrupt politicians who have allowed transnational gangs and cartels to terrorize American communities.
The National Border Patrol Council is the official body representing America’s front-line Border Patrol Agents who sacrifice every day, under intolerable political restraints, to keep America safe. America’s 16,500 border patrol agents represented by the NBPC are the first line of defense for our nation. The NBPC provides the vital outlet to learn the truth – not the political spin from bureaucrats – about what is really happening on our border. And the NBPC has been the one outlet these agents have to prevent their voice from being drowned out by big money special interests.
As President, I will work tirelessly with the NBPC and their rank-and-file agents to secure our border once and for all. I will ensure that every rank-and-file officer has the resources, tools and support they need to protect this nation and stop the influx of drugs, gangs and cartel violence. Together, we will save thousands of American lives, millions of American jobs, and billions of American tax dollars.
I am deeply privileged to have the official support of America’s border patrol agents, and will never let them down.
This is our chance to make our country safe again, and ultimately, Make America Great Again.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.