Cars, rather than camels, made up an October 3, New England caravan of support for Donald Trump. The rally on wheels started out in Plymouth, Massachusetts, running all the way to Nashua, New Hampshire. There were hundreds of cars in the rolling rally decorated with American flags, Trump 2020 posters, and signs reading, “Make America Great Again.”
A Vietnamese family decking out their van with Trump posters and flags. Apparently there’s a contest to see who has the most swagged out car.
Rally goers say they’re not here to change people’s views—just to voice their support for the President. #WBZ pic.twitter.com/glBGnHbNrV
— Tiffany Chan (@TiffanyChanWBZ) October 3, 2020
But the creative use of cars works well on both sides of the aisle. Over 70 cars containing some 130 people gathered in a rally of support for the Biden Harris ticket in Des Moines, Iowa in September. How else are you going to generate enthusiastic crowds for candidates when COVID-19 calls for social distancing?
Next stop in Cedar Rapids: a drive-in campaign rally with @DrBiden and @DouglasEmhoff. Here’s my view. @FoxNewsMMR pic.twitter.com/gIJYKlSi4C
— Mitti Hicks (@MittiMegan) September 26, 2020
In Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, estimates ranging from 500-1,000 Trump supporters all the way to an unverified 30,000 cars took part in another Trump rally on October 10. Those taking part in the caravan waved both American and Cuban flags, attesting to Trump’s popularity in the Cuban American community in Florida. So many cars took part, that City of Miami police officers showed up to direct traffic.
On the same day, a “Trump Train” filled the parking lot of the Washington County School District in St. George, Utah. An hour before the parade was to start, already hundreds of people lined the streets to see the phenomenon. But the main event was the “train” of cars that seemed to go on and on, endlessly.
In Springfield, Missouri, meanwhile, there were rallies for both candidates. One side called it a “Trump Train.” The other side said they were “Riding for Biden.”
Cars are clearly important in this election cycle in a way they never were before. Coronavirus has made sure of that. The question is whether cars will continue to play a role in elections when the virus is one day soon we hope, just a memory. Are car election rallies here to stay? Or is this just another coronavirus-related trend?
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