Sen. Ted Cruz often steers policies favorable to truckers, but this time, he’s hoping to “convoy” his support from the passenger’s seat.
Cruz met with organizers of the “People’s Convoy” at Maryland’s Hagerstown Speedway on Thursday, riding shotgun as he joined the caravan for its fourth day of riding around the Beltway.
“Thank you to every trucker who is standing up for freedom for every man, woman, and child in America!” Cruz said in a tweet Thursday.
Thank you to every trucker who is standing up for freedom for every man, woman, and child in America! pic.twitter.com/DJeoHtWEXy
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 10, 2022
Cruz arrived at the speedway, which is about an hour outside of Washington, D.C., at approximately 9:30 a.m. as he climbed into the front seat of one of the trucks, with organizers indicating the senator would be leading the convoy. It was unclear how long Cruz planned to participate.
Sen. @tedcruz has arrived to the anti-COVID mandate trucker convoy protest in Hagerstown, MD to show his support. pic.twitter.com/HKxKBSxJb8
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) March 10, 2022
“I believe he’s gonna hop in the lead truck, not 100% sure on the details of it, but he’s gonna at least lead the convoy out the gate and down the road,” Brian Brase, one of the convoy’s organizers, told the Washington Post. “He may stick with it. I’m not exactly sure it’s up to him, his security staff, and what they decide to do.”
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Some of the group’s organizers met with Cruz earlier this week, along with Sen. Ron Johnson, to urge Congress to end vaccine mandates and other COVID-19-related restrictions. The group arrived in Washington after the district already lifted its mandates and as several states loosened their guidelines.
The group had its first ride-around on Sunday, circling the Beltway with big rigs, RVs, and pickup trucks. The convoy met again to repeat the path on Monday and Tuesday but stayed off the roads on Wednesday due to rainy weather.
The “People’s Convoy” arrived in Washington over the weekend, completing an 11-day journey from California to protest government restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The group was inspired by a similar trucker convoy in Ottawa, Canada, that disrupted traffic for weeks and gained international attention.
The caravan has attracted the most participants of all the trucker convoys traveling to the nation’s capital so far. Despite initial nationwide support for the caravans in Canada, the U.S. counterparts have struggled to pick up steam.
One group heading from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Washington fizzled out before reaching the city limits due to a late start and low interest. Other groups, such as the Freedom Convoy USA, disbanded along the way and were swallowed by the “People’s Convoy” after a lack of interest prompted organizers to call the trip off.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Despite Thursday’s large group, reportedly containing more than 150 trucks and cars, law enforcement officials told the Washington Examiner there have not been major disruptions to traffic since the convoy arrived.
It’s not clear how long the convoy will stay in the region. Organizers initially said they planned to leave by Saturday, but Brase said he may extend the trip if he can schedule more meetings with politicians.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Cruz’s office for a comment but did not receive a response.
