America’s toughest sheriff and Trump’s ‘political soulmate’

JOE Arpaio has a fearsome reputation as America’s toughest and most controversial sheriff. He has a blunt message for critics of Donald Trump.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks during the Trump campaign rally in Las Vegas in February.

HE’S been labelled “America’s most controversial sheriff” and describes himself as Trump’s “political soulmate”. But Joe Arpaio shares more than just his divisive views with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Mr Arpaio, the Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, was quick to officially endorse Trump for president back in January. Citing his stance on illegal immigration, drugs, and his vow to protect veterans, the 84-year-old enforcer described the billionaire businessman as “a leader” and said it was an “easy decision” to make.

“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,” Mr Arpaio said in a statement.

“It’s just common sense. Why would I not want to endorse him? Everything that I believe in, he believes in.”

They also, as luck would have it, share the same birthday — June 14 — with 14 years separating them.

Despite Mr Arpaio’s long history in law enforcement and politics — 55 years, to be exact — the two men only crossed paths for the first time last July, but they quickly formed a powerful partnership.

“When I was introduced to him formally many months ago, he had me hooked, from way back,” Mr Arpaio told news.com.au. “I took the stage [at a rally] and introduced him, I was the only guy who really stood next to him. I supported him then and I support him now. I have confidence in him, I’m sticking with him til the end.”

Mr Arpaio has now opened up four of Trump’s rallies, most recently last Saturday, and will be by his side in Cleveland, Ohio next month for the Republican National Convention “in case things turn ugly”.

But Trump actually began wooing Mr Arpaio several years ago, the sheriff explained, when he began investigating the legitimacy of President Barack Obama’s birth certificate, (which Mr Arpaio says he is still “working on”). The real estate mogul even sent the sheriff a note praising his efforts.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio was quick to endorse Trump for president and says he’s ‘sticking by him’.

Responding to the endorsement in January, Trump said: “I have great respect for Sheriff Arpaio. 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.”

It appears the feeling is mutual, with Mr Arpaio painting a picture of his close friend that many Americans would find hard to believe, recalling earlier this year when his wife, Ava, was diagnosed with cancer.

“He [Trump] called her and then he called her again and again. He didn’t need my wife [for the endorsement], he did that from the heart,” the sheriff said.

“I get very angry when people say he has no heart, that he hates women and that all garbage.”

Mr Arpaio has so far proved to be a useful figure for Trump to have in his corner. After showering him with support, he campaigned for him ahead of the state primary in March, appearing on national television at a rally with Trump in his hometown.

Then last weekend, Mr Arpaio blasted Republican leaders for their weak endorsements of his candidate. “I thought when you endorse someone, you usually mention their name,” he told a hall in Phoenix packed with Trump supporters.

“We do have some Republicans who don’t know his name.

“Why would you say the [presidential] office and not say who is running for it?

“It would be wise to say, ‘I support Donald Trump’. They need to get a few guts to say that.”

His return to the political spotlight alongside Trump has led to criticism from Democrats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, who denounced the long-serving sheriff at their own campaign events.

Sanders referred to him as “a bully” who “picks on people who have no power”.

But Mr Arpaio, who is seeking a seventh term in office this year, was hardly bothered by the hype. “I love it,” he said. “They pushed my polls up.”

It’s easy to see why Mr Arpaio has been so publicly excited about his endorsement of Trump. After 24 years as the sheriff famous for protecting the Arizona-Mexico border — and working through seven presidencies — he says he agrees with “90 per cent” of Trump’s policies.

“I’m a very outspoken guy, I’m a tough guy to control but he has never tried to influence me,” Mr Arpaio said. “I don’t tell him what to say, it just happens that we both believe in the same things — guns and drugs, illegal immigration — we both happen to agree with 90 per cent, we go down the same road together.”

On Trump’s controversial plan to build a wall on the US southern border with Mexico to control the flow of migrants, Mr Arpaio wholeheartedly agrees with the proposal.

“What’s wrong with building a wall?” he asked. “You’re not going to stop all of the [drug] smuggling because of a wall, but it’s going to help, it sends a message to Mexico ...”

On the remainder of Trump’s views, he simply said: “I believe that he’s going to do what he says he’s going to do. I wish everybody would stop picking on him.”

Sheriff Joe Arpaio was sued for — and found guilty of — racial profiling.

As the sheriff of Maricopa County since 1993, Mr Arpaio has been a polarising public figure in law enforcement since long before Trump’s reign.

From as early as 2005, Mr Arpaio has been outspoken about illegal immigration. In 2010, he became a vocal supporter of Arizona’s harsh 2010 anti-immigrant law, which criminalised the failure to carry immigration documents.

In 2013, Arpaio was found guilty of racially profiling Latinos at traffic stops. He then faced a contempt of court hearing for refusing to stop and has been the subject of thousands of lawsuits during his tenure as sheriff, racking up a $US40 million bill to taxpayers,Timemagazine reports.

The sheriff is also currently facing criticism over the brutal conditions inside Tent City, the infamous jail he set up more than 20 years ago as an extension of the Maricopa County Jail. Tent City currently houses some 800 inmates who all live beneath canvas tarps, forced to wear pink underwear underneath their black-and-white striped uniforms.

With temperatures currently soaring in parts of America, the inmates have been sweltering under the tents in 53C heat. In response to their complaints, Mr Arpaio was seen handing out expired Gatorade within the prison. When some complained, he simply took a sip and said it tasted fine.