Jacksonville author: Sheriff T.K. Waters should rescind endorsement of Donald Trump

Donald Trump has been endorsed by 55 Florida sheriffs in this year’s presidential race, among them Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters. As the child of a law enforcement officer, I am alarmed that this troubling story has not received more news coverage.

While elected officials endorse candidates routinely, the sheriffs’ support for Trump is different for two reasons. First, law enforcement leaders have the power to enlist the full momentum of the government against individuals. In short, the police can lock us up. To be entrusted with such enormous power, sheriffs and deputies have been screened, trained, tested and licensed by the state.

They and their deputies also swore an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution, a document that serves as the guardrails against abuses of power. Ours is (for the moment), “a nation of laws and not men.” A sheriff with a corps of deputies at his or her disposal — with the power to affect arrests — should not be proclaiming loyalty to one person. A sheriff’s paramount duty is to the U.S. Constitution.

The second reason the sheriffs’ endorsement is problematic is that Trump has already shown us he doesn’t care about the Constitution. He did not care about the due process rights of the Central Park Five when he signed a full-page ad implicitly calling for their execution. They were later exonerated by DNA evidence.

Trump also did not care about the human rights of the woman whom a court determined he sexually abused. Additionally, court proceedings found his businesses liable for real estate fraud, which demonstrates his lack of regard for fair play and equal protection.

Finally, Trump disregards voters’ rights to elect the leader of their choice, as demonstrated by his failure to peacefully hand over power to his successor. On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump provoked an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. His supporters trampled Capitol police officers and trashed the Capitol building, all while voicing calls to hang then-Vice President Mike Pence.

For hours, Trump refused to call off the mob. We all saw with our own eyes the tragic results of his disregard for the law that day. Five people died on Jan. 6, while four police officers took their own lives in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt.

Trump now faces scores of other civil and criminal charges. He is entitled to due process of law in those cases. One of his defenses, however, claims he is above the law.

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Trump’s lawyers have raised the defense of “presidential immunity,” signaling the defendant’s belief that a president can do anything he wants. There’s a word for a leader who does anything he wants without being constrained by law — “dictator.” Trump praises tyrants like Vladmir Putin and Kim Jong Un.

It’s not a jump to conclude Trump wants to be a dictator. He said as much to a crowd in Iowa and then repeated it two days later in New York.

His voters, supporters of the authoritarian goals of Project 2025, might believe they’re voting for a “flawed leader” chosen by God to rule them. If so, those theocratic beliefs run squarely up against the intent of our nation’s founders, to create a free, pluralistic society. Support for an avowed, aspiring dictator like Trump is un-American.

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The thought of electing a dictator who can summon law enforcement at a moment’s notice, to lock up political enemies, lawyers, scientists, journalists (or anyone he wants) is terrifying. Trump’s election would end 248 years of our country being a nation of laws.

For these reasons, I implore Sheriff Waters to rescind his endorsement of Donald Trump for president.

Julie Delegal is the author of the award-winning novel, “Seen.” She lives in Jacksonville.

This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida sheriffs support for Donald Trump is un-American, terrifying