In a video posted Saturday to his Instagram account, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco endorsed Donald Trump for president, saying, “I think it’s time we put a convicted felon in the White House.”
“I’m all in,” said Bianco, who has hinted he may run for California governor in 2026. “Trump 2024, baby. Let’s save this country and make America great again.”
In the video, Bianco dons his county law enforcement uniform while lashing out at state leaders, particularly Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, over what he calls their “love for criminals.”
Bianco said in the video that the state leaders might be “on to something,” so he’s decided to “change teams” by backing a felon for president.
A Manhattan jury of five women and seven men on Thursday found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. New York prosecutors said the crimes were election interference, undertaken by Trump for the sake of garnering a White House win.
Commenters on Bianco’s Instagram post were mostly critical of the sheriff’s endorsement. One person wondered if Bianco would hire a deputy with 34 felony convictions. Others questioned why the sheriff endorsed a political candidate while wearing his uniform.
A California statute prohibits public employees from wearing their uniforms when engaging in political activities. Government Code section 3206 provides that “no officer or employee of a local agency shall participate in political activities of any kind while in uniform.”
It’s not clear whether Bianco was on duty at the time the video was made.
Patch has reached out to the county’s chief executive office and the state district attorney’s office for statements.
“If you really are so upset about excessive leniency shown to criminals (which I do agree with), I’d expect your want Trump to go to prison and be held accountable for his crimes,” one person responded on Bianco’s Instagram page. “Instead you support a felon for highest office in the land and let him escape accountability for his other indicted crimes yet to be tried.”
Bianco’s comments follow similar ones made by Riverside County’s Republican leaders in the wake of Trump’s conviction.
Former state Sen. Melissa Melendez of Lake Elsinore has consistently supported Trump — from his campaign that led to a successful 2016 presidential bid right up to the day he was convicted.
“I’ve got news for you, a guilty verdict isn’t going to keep Donald Trump from being the 47th president,” Melendez said Thursday via Twitter. “You may want to get used to that idea now. MAGA.”
No Republican leaders from Riverside County have publicly criticized the former president in the wake of his convictions.
Last month, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin spoke at a fundraising event headlined by Trump’s son, Eric. The May 22 event at The Temecula Stampede was organized by the Inland Empire Family PAC. Read more here.
