# How the Firefighters Union Explain Trump's 2016 rise **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 5, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-firefighters-union-explain-trumps-2016-rise/853215 "2020-05-05T19:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-firefighters-union-explain-trumps-2016-rise/853215/1 "2020-05-05T19:50:17Z")
Like the blue-collar white working class police unions that supported GOP and Donald Trump for the first time since 2008’s McCain campaign, the firefighters unions worldwide supported Trump as well. Nearly 85 percent of American firefighters are white, more than 95 percent are men. Biden is probably the only Democrat who can shave off or perform better with these blue collar union group that deserted Hillary Clinton and the Democrats in 2016. Hillary’s alliance with Black Lives Matter probably didn’t help either. > **[Firefighters supported Obama twice. Then they flipped for Trump. What happened?](https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/democrats-vs-trump/how-firefighters-help-explain-outcome-2016-election-n699196)** > > If you want to understand how badly Democrats lost the white working class in the 2016 election, your local fire station is not a bad place to start. > **[\[PDF\] Blue Endorsements Matter: How the Fraternal Order of Police Contributed...](https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Blue-Endorsements-Matter%3A-How-the-Fraternal-Order-Zoorob/65ceec910234d1756e6e328f953d92f84251f615?p2df)** > > ABSTRACT Conventional accounts of Donald Trump’s unexpected electoral victory stress idiosyncratic events and media celebrity because most observers assume this unusual candidate won without much organized support. However, considerable evidence... ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-firefighters-union-explain-trumps-2016-rise/853215/2 "2020-05-06T06:36:31Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > …the firefighters unions worldwide supported Trump as well. Worldwide? Kazakhstan too? What a country! ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-firefighters-union-explain-trumps-2016-rise/853215/3 "2020-05-06T13:27:41Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > Like the blue-collar white working class police unions that supported GOP and Donald Trump for the first time since 2008’s McCain campaign, the firefighters unions worldwide supported Trump as well. “For the first time since 2008” doesn’t sound too impressive. There was only one other presidential election between 2008 and 2016. ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-firefighters-union-explain-trumps-2016-rise/853215/4 "2020-05-06T14:01:00Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > “For the first time since 2008” doesn’t sound too impressive. There was only one other presidential election between 2008 and 2016. All of that one election fits the bill, though. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-firefighters-union-explain-trumps-2016-rise/853215/5 "2020-05-06T14:10:33Z")
> [@](#): > > **Yankees 1996 Champs** ;Hillary’s alliance with Black Lives Matter probably didn’t help either. A strange alliance I would say. > [@](#): > > When reached for comment, representatives from #BlackLivesMatter made clear their intention: Not to skewer Clinton or any individual politician, but to prompt all politicians to think about and directly address racial injustice in America. As noted in the organization’s recent press release, “Historically, all political parties have participated in the systematic disenfranchisement of Black people. Anti-black racism, especially that sanctioned by the state, has resulted in the loss of healthy and thriving Black life and well-being. Given that, we will continue to hold politicians and political parties accountable for their policies and platforms." > > “You have been, in no uncertain way, partially responsible for this," they remind Clinton directly. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-firefighters-union-explain-trumps-2016-rise/853215/6 "2020-05-06T14:15:16Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > … the firefighters unions worldwide supported Trump as well.] Really? > **[Firefighter union will not endorse Clinton or Trump](https://www.firerescue1.com/election-2016/articles/firefighter-union-will-not-endorse-clinton-or-trump-Ynx4CRo6vOhzSAXB/)** > > Union president: “This decision was not taken lightly” “ LAS VEGAS — The International Association of Fire Fighters said Monday that it will abstain from endorsing a presidential candidate for the 2016 election. ” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-firefighters-union-explain-trumps-2016-rise/853215/7 "2020-05-06T16:09:50Z")
I know when I go to the polls, the first question in my mind is “How are the firemen voting?” and then I follow their lead. ---
**Author:** ![str8cashhomie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@str8cashhomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/str8cashhomie)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-firefighters-union-explain-trumps-2016-rise/853215/8 "2020-05-07T01:15:38Z")
So how exactly does the Firefighters Union explain Trump’s rise? ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-firefighters-union-explain-trumps-2016-rise/853215/9 "2020-05-07T04:40:21Z")
> [@str8cashhomie](#): > > So how exactly does the Firefighters Union explain Trump’s rise? It fits into why the white working class votes conservative. That’s why. The Roseanne voter.