Supporters of President Trump threw a boat parade called “Trumptilla” down the Intracoastal Waterway in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday.
An estimated 1,200 boats participated in the parade that gained traction for attendance on social media. Carlos Gavidia organized the event that spanned eight miles from Jupiter to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach after he received pushback from a neighbor for flying a Trump flag on his boat.
The parade caught the attention of the president on Twitter, prompting him to tweet a video of the boaters and thanking them for their support.
“Thank you very much to our beautiful ‘boaters.’ I will never let you down!” Trump tweeted Sunday.
Thank you very much to our beautiful “boaters.” I will never let you down! pic.twitter.com/Ot5Ffnjj9G
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2020
“Trumptilla” draws hundreds of boats from around South Florida, but the motivation for Sunday’s pageant is what’s most interesting. https://t.co/c1PK86slYE pic.twitter.com/iviGJhXONC
— Kimberly Miller (@KMillerWeather) May 4, 2020
Gavidia responded to the earlier criticism for his Trump flag by changing the name of his boat to “TRUMP” and wrapping it with the president’s name, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Omg this is me!!! #MAGA https://t.co/4fOI8pCsU6
— Carlos Gavidia (@CarlosG18457871) April 18, 2020
Very cool. Please thank him! https://t.co/7nc79fCFip
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2020
“When the boat got wrapped, there was some mixed feelings but more people were cheering me on,” Gavidia said. “I know people who trailored their boats from Daytona Beach to participate today.”
