--- title: Sheriff Joe Arpaio Endorses Donald Trump description: Joe Arpaio, the controversial and self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America," has just endorsed Donald Trump for president. canonical: https://time.com/4194585/joe-arpaio-donald-trump-endorsement/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-26T20:44:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T19:46:13.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Sheriff Joe Arpaio Endorses Donald Trump og:description: Joe Arpaio, the controversial and self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America," has just endorsed Donald Trump for president. og:url: https://time.com/4194585/joe-arpaio-donald-trump-endorsement/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc55f2fe89a8b7aef/69887aa8a988ca27906b64a1/joe-arpaio.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3985 og:image:height: 2242 og:image:alt: Donald Trump Gives Address On Immigration In Phoenix og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Sheriff Joe Arpaio Endorses Donald Trump twitter:description: Joe Arpaio, the controversial and self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America," has just endorsed Donald Trump for president. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc55f2fe89a8b7aef/69887aa8a988ca27906b64a1/joe-arpaio.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Sheriff Joe Arpaio Endorses Donald Trump > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=13fe2458-92ff-47c1-92df-afcd7b949192&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=13fe2458-92ff-47c1-92df-afcd7b949192&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=13fe2458-92ff-47c1-92df-afcd7b949192&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=13fe2458-92ff-47c1-92df-afcd7b949192&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Updated: Dec 13, 2023 7:46 PM UTCPublished: Jan 26, 2016 8:44 PM UTC  Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio takes the stage to introduce Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a political rally at the Phoenix Convention Center on July 11, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio takes the stage to introduce Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a political rally at the Phoenix Convention Center on July 11, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. Charlie Leight—Getty Images  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Updated: Dec 13, 2023 7:46 PM UTCPublished: Jan 26, 2016 8:44 PM UTC The self-proclaimed “toughest sheriff in America,” and certainly one of the most controversial, has just endorsed Donald Trump for president. In a statement, Joe Arpaio said, “Donald Trump is a leader. He produces results and is ready to get tough in order to protect American jobs and families. I have fought on the front lines to prevent illegal immigration. I know Donald Trump will stand with me and countless Americans to secure our border.” Speaking in Marshalltown, Iowa Tuesday evening, Arpaio cited Trump’s stance on illegal immigration, drugs, and his vow to protect veterans. “It’s easy for me to endorse him,” Arpaio said. “It’s just common sense. Why would I not want to endorse him? Everything that I believe in, he believes in.” Arpaio, now 83, has been the sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona since 1993\. Despite his long tenure, he’s a highly divisive public figure. Arpaio struck out a strong nativist, anti-immigration stance long before Trump descended the escalator to announce his candidacy in June 2015\. He was an outspoken supporter of Arizona’s [harsh 2010 anti-immigrant law](http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2007858,00.html), which criminalized the failure to carry immigration documents and gave the police sweeping power to detain people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally. (The Supreme Court ruled on the law in 2012, upholding its most contentious provisions.) In 2013, a federal court [found Arpaio guilty](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/25/us/federal-judge-finds-violations-of-rights-by-sheriff-joe-arpaio.html) of racially profiling Latinos at traffic stops; he then faced a contempt of court hearing for refusing to stop. He has been the subject of [thousands of lawsuits](http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1929920,00.html) during his tenure as sheriff. “I have great respect for Sheriff Arpaio,” Trump said in a statement about the endorsement. “We must restore law and order on the border and respect the men and women of our police forces. I thank him for his support of my policies and candidacy for President.” Trump has made his hardline stance on illegal immigration a centerpiece of his campaign, promising to build a wall along the country’s southern border with Mexico and deport all 11 million people in the country illegally. But Arpaio is a controversial figure in law enforcement even outside his questionable treatment of undocumented immigrants. Arpaio also began the nation’s first female and juvenile chain gangs, and forced Maricopa County inmates to wear [pink underwear](http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1929920,00.html). Arpaio he wasn’t Trump’s only big endorsement today; Tuesday morning, evangelical leader [Jerry Falwell Jr. also announced](http://time.com/4194164/jerry-falwell-jr-donald-trump-evangelical/?xid=tcoshare) he was backing the Republican frontrunner. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4194585/joe-arpaio-donald-trump-endorsement/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4194585/joe-arpaio-donald-trump-endorsement/"},"headline":"Sheriff Joe Arpaio Endorses Donald Trump","datePublished":"2016-01-26T20:44:02.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T19:46:13.000Z","description":"A polarizing figure that could give a boost to the GOP frontrunner","url":"https://time.com/4194585/joe-arpaio-donald-trump-endorsement/","keywords":["Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc55f2fe89a8b7aef/69887aa8a988ca27906b64a1/joe-arpaio.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc55f2fe89a8b7aef/69887aa8a988ca27906b64a1/joe-arpaio.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Donald Trump Gives Address On Immigration In Phoenix","caption":"Donald Trump Gives Address On Immigration In Phoenix","creditText":"Charlie Leight—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4194585/joe-arpaio-donald-trump-endorsement/","name":"Sheriff Joe Arpaio Endorses Donald Trump"}}]}] ```